[Quinn]

Yay! Good to see you're back Alison!! :D

[Radthorne]

Hello guys - I'm back! - sadly didn't catch up with the Radthorne, though we got to speak on the telephone (he sounds as nice as he sounds) - next time (I'm sure there will be a next time) - unless he decides to head here, of course - in which case, Kevin, you can buy me all those drinks you threaten me with...

I'll tour Melbourne when they ask me, Goddess - Penguin has promised to pull their fingers out for The Crow, so we'll see what happens. All I know is that I get asked o/s more often than in my home town. But it was ever thus...

I'll get onto the questions waiting tomorrow, it's late now. But good to see you all here!
:) I almost got the reservations to work out to get down to L.A., but alas it was not to be. I'll just have to keep saving up the bar tab for a while longer. :D

Welcome back, my friend. Now, time to start catching up on what everybody's been saying about you in your absence... ;)

[Bridie]

why we would never say anything about you ali! welcome back! hope you had a good time. You will be happy to know that weve all been marginaly good in your absence, unlike last time.

[owleye]

us bad? perish the thought, were always good lol

[Tari]

i agree with Owleye when were we ever bad?? :D Lol . . . .nice to you have returned Ali. i'm taking that you enjoyed the trip . . . . :)

~ Tari

[alison]

Thanks for the greetings... Did I say "bad"? Nevah! You're all angels, indeed you are. Anyone who likes my books (even to the point of apparent insanity) is definitely a Good Person. Hey Kevin, start lining up those dry martinis - I rediscovered how much I liked them in LA...

[Radthorne]

One, two, three, four, er... uh..., thash funny, I seems to have lost count somehow... :o

[owleye]

i think the next number was 8

[alison]

No wonder I regularly end up on my ear. Back to sober life and work, alas.

By the way guys, and hoping this is not unethical ;) - may I point out the SFF world 2005 Best Reads here (http://www.sffworld.com/forums/announcement.php?f=6&announcementid=20), posted by Mod Rob B. As SFFworld members, you get to vote for your fave books...but do read the rules, he doesn't want screeds of explanation or argument. I'm sure you all have lots of contenders, reading the book thread here... Both The Naming and The Riddle are eligible. It would be nice to see them in the mix...as new YA books, they're still pretty much under the radar.

[Rhiannon]

lol, I was just constructing my list of my top 5 and The Naming came almost immediately to mind. I'd forgotten The Riddle was eligible too though... There were an awful lot of good books released this year, come to think of it.