I could continue to document the various circumstantial evidences uncovered by my research, but I must retain some of it for the forthcoming book. Not to mention that of late I’ve found the pull of investigating P.T. Barnum’s secret life further has been distracting me from William the Conqueror’s secret life. Barnum’s secret life does not seem possible given what we know about the limits of the flexibility of the human body, but I am heartened by my work on William. If William’s hidden identity as a giant eel can be corroborated by so many independent sources, then surely Barnum’s midnight walks out to the old barn, the strange lights that emanated from the place while he was inside it, and what eventually resulted from it will be much, much easier to substantiate. Or, perhaps, in this case, I should say “trans-substantiate.”
In any event, I plan to finish the book by 2040, depending, of course, on research grants, time for travel, and the vagaries of circumstance created by the details of my own secret life, which is often a health-hazard and includes periods of almost unimaginable danger to my person and to my sanity.
THE REAL LIFE OF
JEFF VANDERMEER
Jeff VanderMeer is a multiple-award winning fantasy author with books published in over twenty countries. VanderMeer has collaborated on short films with rock groups like The Church, has worked with Ben Templesmith, co-creator of 30 Days of Night, has had his fiction adapted for promotional purposes by Playstation Europe (by filmmaker Joel Veitch), and writes for the Amazon book blog and The Washington Post. His online nonfiction has been name-checked frequently by the likes of the LA Times, Boing Boing, and many more. With his wife Ann VanderMeer, the fiction editor for Weird Tales, he is the co-editor of Best American Fantasy, Fast Ships, Black Sails (pirates), Steampunk, New Weird, and many more. Together, they have taught writing workshops and given lectures all over the world. This literary “power couple” (Boing Boing) has been profiled on Wired.com, the NYT blog, and national NPR, among others. VanderMeer runs a popular blog at http://www.jeffvandermeer.com. It is a little-known fact that he will, at random intervals, roll down the window while driving and shout “SQUID!” at perplexed passersby. Other than this, he has no secret life to speak of, being too busy in his real life for this luxury.
Strange Tales of Secret Lives Page 10