Selena and I scurried down to the National Book Festival on the Mall last Saturday to get there just in time to see author extrodinaire Niel Gaimen’s half hour talk. As we walked in and I saw him standing in about 105 degree humidity in long pants and a leather coat, I formed an instant opinion. This guy is going to be a pompous ass.

So, I sat quietly judging as he told the story of his inspiration for his new book The Graveyard Book, he mentioned how he came up with the idea years ago but didn’t feel he was yet a good enough author to write it. So when he got to the part where he said, “and so recently when I went back to this story I thought…”

I filled in the rest in my head “I thought, now that I am accomplished and successful and amazing, I can easily write this great work.” Ugh, so self-absorbed.

But no, that’s not what he said. Instead Niel Gaimen finished his thought with “I thought, I’m not getting any better as a writer, so I may as well tackle this now.”

Wait, what? I got it all wrong. This author wasn’t a ridiculous blowhard, he was self-effacing and connecting and funny. In that instant I realized I had been judging this book writer by his cover.