4th Street Fantasy day 1

I’m at 4th Street fantasy and having a lovely time thus far. Yesterday I rode up with Ellen Klages. If she ever offers to take you on a road trip, say yes. It is fun, and you get pie.

This morning, I was on the Storytelling Seminar with Scott Lynch, Beth Meacham, and Isaac O’Neill. It was moderated by Karen Anderson who did a great job of guiding the discussion. These folks are smart. I walked out of the panel and wanted to write, so I did.

And then my computer shut down unexpectedly. ::shakes fists:: And though I have automatic backups, you can still lose a lot of words between saves. Disheartening.

This was more than made up for by sitting around on the patio with a bevy of authors and shooting the breeze.

And here, I will pause to fangirl for a moment.

I’m a Steven Brust fan. A huge Steven Brust fan.

His book Jhereg was what made me understand what first person was for because Vlad, the main character, changes through the act of telling the stories. I love this series.

But… The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars is arguably my favorite book. I do not say this lightly. It came out when I was an art major in college and traces the path of an artist who is wondering if he should give up art, or keep trying. It’s interwoven with a Hungarian fairytale in interesting ways, but the artist’s story resonated so strongly with me. For years, when I hit a slump, I pull this book off the shelf to reread it. By the end, I’ve followed the hero’s journey and am charged to create again.

So… Thursday I got to meet Steven Brust. I had my game face on. I did not squee all over him We shared scotch. It was great.

Last night, I asked him if I could be a fangirl for a few moments. I got to tell him how much I loved his work, and he signed my books.

Then we all sat around, drank scotch, sang. He and Scalzi dueled with foam swords. I did a puppet show.

It was perfect.

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6 thoughts on “4th Street Fantasy day 1”

  1. Mary, Sorry that I didn’t notice until this morning that you are in Minnesota. Ya den doncha know.

  2. THE SUN THE MOON AND THE STARS is such a good book! I have not read it since it first came out but its message has stuck with me. It’s also a great reminder that there is so much more writing fantasy (or using fairy tales) than just gritty wars or quests.

  3. It was really great to meet you this weekend. I got really nervous and didn’t know what to say…which always happens when I meet my favorite authors. Strangely enough, last night I also asked Steven Brust to sign my copy of The Sun, the Moon and the Stars. I’m in the middle of reading it for the first time, and as a writer/artist myself, I’m absolutely LOVING it. Wish I’d read it earlier.

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