Over on her own blog, Mary Robinette Kowal goes into some detail — with pictures and everything — about how one makes a Fuzzy from scratch. As Mary has been a professional puppeteer for years and has some fame from her ability to create these creatures, if you are a crafty, make-y sort of person, this particular entry will be like catnip to you.

I’m on tour, so this week’s FilmCritic.com column goes to the mailbag to answer questions about super hero films, what films don’t teach you about writing novels, and whether it’s fair to talk about films before you see them. Basically, things you absolutely need to know right now. Yes you do. Check it out and as always feel free to leave comments there.

I had promised folk in Seattle that since they had to pay money to attend my tour event, that I would bring them something special. I brought them two things (that’s value!). Here’s the first:

That’s musician Molly Lewis, on hand to do an acoustic ukulele version of “Fuzzy Man,” and who did an excellent job of it, especially considering the timeframe in which she had to learn the thing. Paul and Storm should be proud.

The second surprise:

Yes, that’s right, we brought an actual fuzzy to the event! Here it is, along with handler Mary Robinette Kowal, talking to the crowd about life, the universe and everything. Like it would. And you might also notice the absolutely adorable fuzzy plush toy it is carrying, a gift from a very nice young woman in the audience who did not know when she gave it to me earlier in the evening that it would soon be hugged and loved by a fuzzy. See, I told you the evening would bring surprises.

(For those who want a more serious answer to the above picture, I commissioned Mary, who is an experienced puppeteer, to make me a fuzzy. She did a simply fantastic job and I recommend her for all your puppetry needs.)

I need to take a moment to publicly thank both Molly and Mary for being part of the event and I really regret not being able to take them on the whole tour. They made a really good event into one of the best I ever had. And so did the crowd. Thank you, guys. I love me some Seattle.

(Photos by Jeff Slostad, who has pictures of the event up on Flickr.)