Saturday, June 30, 2007

Hooked & Salty

by Mark Haskell Smith

If you missed it, well... what can I say? The smackdown between myself and Matt Richtel last night was a real donneybrook (another word, like "nipple slip" that I never get to use), a cross between a deep and thoughtful psychological exploration of the act of writing, a nuts n' bolts craft seminar, and penis measuring contest between two extremely well-endowed authors. The fact that Hooked is a Book Sense Pick and Salty is a Book Sense Notable Book and there we were together on the same stage... well it was like Jet Li and Jackie Chan in a Hong Kong steel cage Mortal Kombat-to-the-death. David Hewson was there to mop up the blood.

1 comment:

matt richtel said...

it's a week later, and i've just recovered from the cage match with Mark Haskell Smith. It was, as advertised and reported, verbal swashbuckling -- in which I was at a huge disadvantage. Think about it. Mark has three names. Mark. Haskell. Smith. I use a mere two -- Matt Richtel, with Matt being a neutered version of Matthew. Outgunned from the very introductions, I had to fall back on counter-punching and periodically poking him under the table with my pen. All in all, a heck of a lot of fun (minus the pen marks on his pants). Afterwards, a panel watcher noted that Mark and I had a good rapport and perhaps should go on tour. Only if I can get a solid third name.