Chachic (of Chachic's Book Nook) had the brilliant idea of organizing a love fest of awesomeness to celebrate Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series, and I decided to make a small contribution, because I am a fan (in a passionately intense way). Megan Whalen Turner's books get the third best shelf space in my bedroom* and King of Attolia is in my top five favorite books of all time (I'm not sure which the others are, but they are probably good ones too).
I've had the happy fortune of meeting MWT in person twice now (here's a picture from the first meet-up in 2007, at the Niantic Book Barn--that's my husband, obviously thinking hard about whatever intelligent thing MWT is saying, along with a bit of a fellow Sounisian that I cropped because I wasn't sure she'd want to be on my blog):
As my Useful Contribution to Queen's Thief Week, I thought I'd gather all the bits of MWT talking I could find. Many of these links are on MWT's own website, but some aren't, so I thought it might be of interest to make a more complete list--let me know if I missed any!
2007 Shannon Hale interview MWT in three parts--here's the first
October, 2007 --Cheryl Rainfield was lucky enough to hear MWT at the Particles of Narrative Conference, and took detailed notes.
2009--a podcast interview in two parts at the Mount Kisco Library (here is the direct link--scroll down a tad, organized by Deirdre (of Deirdre's Blog, and found via The Serpentine Library)
Nov. 2009 "Plotting with Megan Whalen Turner" at HipWriterMama
March 201o The Enchanted Inkpot and Chersti Nieveen
April 2010 Q&A with MWT at Publishers Weekly and an interview at Shelf Awareness
April 2010 At Damsels in Regress
June, 2010 MWT is one of several authors discussing "morals and values and lessons" at Shannon Hale's blog, Squeetus
May, 2011 LA Times Festival of Books interview
January, 2012 At Chachic's Book Nook for Queen's Thief Week!
And, just as a coda, my proudest MWT fan moment ever:
MWT (over at Sounis, on 4/16/08): "Charlotte, YOU are my Buffalo Film Festival. You and no other"
How could any fan not swoon?
* Here are the books in my bedroom (it's two pictures adjacent to each other, which is why the chimney is cut off)--MWT is to the right of the chimney, third shelf up. Diana Wynne Jones gets the best slot--the entire bookshelf right by the bed, but that's just because she's written more books than MWT. If MWT were to write as many books as DWJ (a girl can dream), I'd put MWT there. Urusula Le Guin (second best shelf space--above MWT, fourth and fifth shelves) has to stay where she is, because those books are shared with my husband.
"love fest of awesomeness" -> LOL at this. Thank you so much for writing this post, Charlotte! You're so lucky you've met MWT in person, not once, but TWICE. Wonder if I will ever get to experience that.
ReplyDeleteNext time she comes to New England, I will let you know and you would be welcome to come stay at my house!
ReplyDeleteYAY! Thanks for the offer. All I need now is a US visa and $1,000 for airfare.
DeleteI've never heard of her before. Thanks for introducing her to your readers. I'm off to check some of those links out.
ReplyDeleteDo give her books a try! The admiration us fans feel for them is clearly in evidence over at Chachic's place.
DeleteI'm jealous, Charlotte, jealous. (Not only of you meeting MWT twice, but of your bookshelves.)
ReplyDeleteI built the one on the left myself (mostly)! and my husband did the much harder one on the right. It was a horrible room before--an upstairs mother in law kitchen from the 1960s, with orange floral wallpaper of that kicheny partern and lots of nasty cheap cabinets.
DeleteOh, and I remember that interview with Shannon Hale back in 2007; it's what put MWT on my radar. Good stuff, that.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I found out about MWT's books! Shannon Hale introduced me to them.
DeleteI think that got a lot of readers for MWT!
ReplyDeleteI also am very fond of her short story collection, 'Instead of Three Wishes'
ReplyDeleteC.
Okay so not only were the interview links wonderful, I am insanely jealous of your built in book cases AND your having gotten to chat up MWT!
ReplyDeleteMWT was very generous--the Book Barn stop was on the way from D.C., I think, to Rhode Island, and she had been in the car for hours....it was so nice of her to take the time for a meet-up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the links! I love Megan Whalen Turner so much -- I have several times had a dream where the next Queen's Thief book was out. Upon waking from these dreams I have found reality very disappointing
ReplyDeletewow--I don't think I've ever drempt about them...and how sad for you when you realized it wasn't true!
DeleteI had to smile at your mention of having to share LeGuin with your husband. In our house the books are divided by genre and where they go depends on who's the dominant fan. Sci fi is in husband's office because they're mostly his, and that means he gets the sci fi I like, too. Fantasy is in my studio, including his fantasy and the jointly loved fantasy. And so on. I'm always amused to hear how other people work out the yours/mine/and ours nature of books, because books inspire such incredible personal attachment.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy MWT. I was a bit surprised by how much so when I finally read her a couple years ago. Now I wish she would release a new book!
ReplyDeleteOoh, look at all those lovely links! I'm off to check them out.
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