I'm writing this sitting on my suitcase trying to cram a few more things in because today I'm off overseas for a couple of weeks.

It's one of my favourite parts of being an author, travelling. After sitting on my bum at the computer for months, there's nothing I like better than jumping up and down on a suitcase for a couple of hours and then going travelling for a bit. Even though if it's overseas the plane trip involves sitting on my bum for another 22 hours or so.

This trip I'm going to London to record Toad Rage for release on audio tape, and to have meetings with some people who want to make movies from a couple of my books (Two Weeks With The Queen and Bumface). Then I'm going to Minneapolis in the US to see a stage musical based on Two Weeks With The Queen. Not something I'd ever imagined would happen, but I'll be fascinated to see it and I'll tell you about it when I get back.

Before I go I want to say how much I'm enjoying reading the e-mails people are sending me from the Visitors Page. One little thing, though. Quite a few of them are asking for replies, mostly for school assignments. I do understand what it's like — teachers standing over you with whips, warning you that if you don't get your author study finished by Thursday you'll be dragged round the school oval by a pack of wild library assistants.

If I was in that situation I'd probably panic and ask the author in question for help too. But unfortunately I just can't do it. As I explain on the Visitors Page and on the automatic reply you get when you e-mail me, I'd use up most of my book-writing time if I tried to reply to all the e-mails individually. And my computer would probably blow up.

Which is one reason I started this website in the first place. Cunningly positioned on its various pages are large amounts of the sort of personal information people ask me for when they're doing author studies. Look in the Scrapbook and on the Bookshelf and at the About Morris pages and you'll see what I mean. Far be it from me to make wild accusations, but I have a slight suspicion that some of the people who are asking me to provide them with information haven't actually looked at those pages.

If I'm wrong, and you have looked, and nowhere on the site can you find the sort of info you need for your assignment, e-mail me and let me know and I'll do my best to get that info on the site so you and others can have access to it and get top marks for your project and become rich and successful in later life.

Oh-oh, they're paging my flight and I haven't managed to fit all my books in the suitcase yet. Oh well, I'll just have to carry them in my pocket with my socks.

Until next time,
oo-roo and happy reading

26 March 2000