The strangest thing Neil Gaiman has ever said

Weirdest Neil Gaiman quote ever, courtesy of BlackBerry

Neil Gaiman is collaborating with BlackBerry on a year-long project. Look for it on the installment plan.

By Carolyn Kellogg

Feb. 4, 2013 4:09 PM PT

BlackBerry’s relaunch includes one new bookish wrinkle: It’s doing a year-long project with writer Neil Gaiman. The collaborative project will be written in monthly installments by Gaiman, using ideas and inspiration from readers inspired to join in.

In BlackBerry’s video (below) promoting the project, which it’s calling “A Calendar of Tales,” Gaiman tromps around in the snow, reads at a bookstore and, of course, taps away at a new BlackBerry.

Gaiman doesn’t say anything particularly unusual in the video. It’s in the press release that arrived Monday morning that explains how the BlackBerry promotion works, which involves sharing multimedia and ideas on the “BlackBerry Keep Moving Hub.”

Normally, Gaiman has a way with words: He’s got two books coming out this year, one for children and one for adults; he’s the author of “The Sandman” comic book series, the novels “American Gods” and “Stardust”; has won the Newbery Medal for “The Graveyard Book”; saw his novella “Coraline” turned into a film; has written for “Doctor Who”; and has published more than a dozen other books that embrace science fiction and the fantastic. He’s a prolific, imaginative author who has invented worlds.

And this -- well, this may be the strangest thing he’s ever said.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between fans and artists, and between art and technology,” said Gaiman. “This project is a terrific way to explore all of those relationships, using the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Keep Moving Hub to find out how technology and community interaction can inspire the artistic process, and elevate the work itself to another level.”

I can’t wait until Gaiman gets back to his old self and starts writing again. For more about collaborating with him, watch the video below.