Meeting Maggie.

I drove 1 1/2 hours last night because Maggie Stiefvater, author of Scorpio Races, Wolves of Mercy Falls and The Raven Boys series, would be speaking at Prairie Lights bookstore.  I am a huge fan (already pre-ordered the next in the Raven series) and I thought it would be worth the drive even though I couldn't get anyone to go with me. What a shame as they missed a very good show.

She was far more entertaining than I've ever seen an author be in a funny, grease monkey kind of way. I did not take notes but just enjoyed listening to her variety of stories that she transforms into mini-skits.  This is what I remember:

1. She is fascinated with folklore and likes wolves over werewolves.
2. I think she wears black tank tops and black Doc Martens a lot.
3. She is rail thin but mighty.
4. She advised against the age old writer's wisdom of "write what you know" and was eloquent in her idea that you can research and write way beyond what exists around you.
5. She's learned to write anywhere now as she travels so much (even on airplanes).
6. She claims not to be a good writer so much as a good thief; stealing bits or parts from life.
7. Her purpose in writing Shiver was to make people cry, to write something that would be poignant like The Time-Traveler's Wife.
8. She read Watership Down as a young person and then rewrote it with dogs instead of rabbits.
9.  I shook hands with her and we had to shake twice, according to her, it needs to be done in equal amounts.
10. She lived for a short time in Hartley, IA but does not have good memories of the experience.

As people got their books and posters signed by her she chatted easily with each person.  There were people there that had written her letters and received responses, tweeted, emailed, tumbler'ed her and all received responses.  One young man had a brand new Raven Boys tattoo to share with her.  The love was big and real all around.  She asked many what books they were reading that were great and when it was my turn we chatted about folklore and what a great avenue this was to look at wolves over werewolves and so she didn't ask me but if she had I would have told her to read Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch as it is filled with struggling, badly-behaving characters that are still somehow likable, something I think she would appreciate.

It goes so quickly those brief moments of greeting someone that you admire that I wanted to say "Can we meet at the pub for a Guinness after all these other people leave?"

My cache of signed goods:

{Posters Maggie created herself for fans}

If you haven't read her yet you should...