"We have to go!" I said, excited. Kat, my better half, nodded at me in that understanding way she always does. I was greatly influenced by The Last Unicorn when I read it in school. It is a story so spellbinding and fascinating that you just can't ignore it. I particularly enjoy it because it was one of the first books where I really understood the symbolism in the story without the teacher pointing it out. I became an avid fan of all sorts of literature after that.

We arrived at the International Ballroom at Dragon*Con and found seats quickly. Peter started by reading from his book, I See By My Outfit, and I listened raptly. It was obvious that he was a master storyteller. Peter also chatted a bit and took questions and I noticed something surprising: he talked about financial hardship. How could the author of a story so loved and widely known as The Last Unicorn have any financial hardship?

Kat and I attended a later reading and Peter read "Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros," from his collection The Rhinoceros that Quoted Nietzsche. He also told us a bit more about himself and his longstanding problems. Here was the man that had written a landmark piece of literature, written the animated feature film version of The Lord of the Rings, and wrote an incredibly popular Star Trek: The Next Generation episode ("Sarek", in which Spock's father falls ill and becomes emotional). Despite all that, however, here he was telling us how singing at a French restaurant has been the only regular income he ever received, and how he had struggled for years to provide for his family.

After finding out he lived near me, I had to arrange an interview to talk with him more.

I arrived at the appointment in the early afternoon. Kat and Connor Cochran, Peter's business manager and good friend, came along. Peter suggested a diner nearby that he particularly enjoys, and it finally sank in that I was going to have dinner with a legendary author.

After being seated, Peter shared a story about "Super Dog," the one deity who ever provided a miracle for him. Peter explained that the family dog had gone missing one day. The children were distraught, and Peter couldn't concentrate on writing the television script he was working on at the time. He feared the worst; the dog looked like a coyote and he thought it likely that an over-eager neighbor might have shot the poor thing. Then the producer of the TV show called to get information about how the script was coming, and Peter told him about the missing dog. The producer explained that his wife believed God to be like a big, friendly dog in heaven, and offered to have his wife talk to "Super Dog" in order to help bring back Peter's lost pet. At midnight that night, the family dog returned: tired and hungry, but alive. Peter called his producer later and said the dog came home. "I still remember his response. He said, 'Oh, God, now she'll be insufferable!'" At this point Connor mentioned that it seemed weirdly appropriate that someone named "Beagle" would get a response from a deity named "Super Dog."

After ordering our food, we chatted a bit about Peter's writing. Of course, I had to ask him more about The Last Unicorn. He told me that the story originally began as a short story in which the last Unicorn met other creatures of mythology and lore, eventually finding out that the mythical had no place in the modern world. Through revisions, the story changed into the familiar tale we enjoy today.

Peter humbly cited many inspirations for The Last Unicorn. He credited Tolkien for showing that lyrics can be part of a story, T. H. White for the style of the writing, and Lord Dunsany for demonstrating to him that a good character or place name can sometimes be all you really need to make something come to life, rather than lengthy descriptions. But, of course, it was Peter's own work that made the story the legend it is today.

I brought up my other favorite book of Peter's, The Folk of the Air, and was surprised to discover that Peter thinks of it as the "runt of the litter." I find the book rather enjoyable because it really captured the essential feeling of Northern California, even the way it is here now, years after the book was written. Even though I was a "dot-com" immigrant, often disliked by the locals, I could see reflections of the people and places here in the book. Peter said he was interested in rewriting the story in order to improve it.

As the food arrived, Peter dove into his turkey burger, cooked rare, and talked more about his other passion, music. As he had mentioned at Dragon*Con, he had supported himself by singing at a French Restaurant in Santa Cruz, California. For about 12 years he earned $25 per night, plus tips, and "an excellent French meal." Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed and torn down by the local government years ago. But his love of music inspired him to continue working on his own songs. He will have his own CD with collaborations with other musicians coming sometime soon.

We then talked about the difficulty that even an established author has in the writing business today. Connor mentioned Granada International, the English company that owns the rights to the animated film version of The Last Unicorn. Based on the figures he has been given, he estimates that Granada has so far sold over 600,000 DVDs and tapes worldwide, but they haven't fulfilled their end of the contract and paid Peter any of his royalties. Connor also pointed out that until just last year no one had ever paid Peter any of the Last Unicorn merchandising income he was due, either - and that what he had finally received, after complaints, was less than $900. The fact that Peter has made so little money from this boggles the mind.

It's not just the film, either. The American publisher of The Last Unicorn actually turned down a chance to buy rights to its sequel. When Connor told the chief executive about the sales of the DVDs and tapes, all without any advertising or promotion, the executive looked astonished and said "There's an animated movie?"

Unfortunately, Peter had made a long series of poor business decisions, something he recognizes today. He trusted agents he should not have, signed agreements clearly not in his favor, and for a long time didn't really understand what his creations were really worth. He had no idea how big his fanbase was until just recently, when he started visiting more conventions. It's funny to think that someone like Peter S. Beagle could not realize how popular he is.

But instead of just complaining about the past, Peter has been producing new work for eager fans to enjoy. First of all is the new novelette, Two Hearts, which is a small sequel to the original The Last Unicorn. Peter used to be vehement that he would never write a sequel to the original story, but Connor encouraged him to consider writing another story in the same setting, even if it didn't have any of the original characters. As Peter set out to do this, a new character took hold of his imagination and the result was a powerful, moving story that did involve all the main characters from the original book.

Peter has also been working with various publishers to get all of his books and stories back in print. One of them, Tachyon Publications, will release a new collection of Peter's stories called The Line Between in 2006. And Conlan Press is going to be bringing out all of Peter's books in new hardback versions. In addition, Conlan Press is publishing Peter's new things, including Two Hearts and Writing Sarek, a book that describes Peter's experience with writing for Star Trek, and includes an annotated teleplay of the "Sarek" episode. Conlan will also be releasing Peter's first new adult novel in 14 years, a modern urban fantasy called Summerlong, and a series of new audiobooks in which Peter reads his own fiction and essays and sings his own songs. (After hearing his readings at Dragon*Con, I know the audiobook of The Last Unicorn is something I have to own.)

As the plates were cleared away from our dinner, we talked about other shared interests. One of them was Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. "I'm a big Spike fan," Peter admitted with a grin. Then we talked about the Serenity movie and how eager we were all to see it. It seems that Peter is still absorbing great stories as he did at the beginning of his writing career. Then, finally done, I paid the check and we walked back to my car.

In all, it was a great opportunity to chat with a master writer. It was wonderful to meet someone I had always admired, and after talking to him I respect him more than ever - it's obvious that he is as good (or better) than ever, and that his very best stories are still to come. I also highly recommend that anyone able to see Peter at a gaming conference take the opportunity to do so. It's rare that one meets someone so brilliant, witty, and eloquent in a single person. I look forward to seeing Peter at GenCon SoCal.