Again, I've posted this over at Obernet (so if you've read it there, you don't need to read it again blaugh ) but I know not everyone here goes there, so here's the story of my weird and wonderful Monday!!
It's a really long account...but it gets there in the end...
(from this post)
Oh...wow, have I got a story to tell!
I have the best boyfriend in the world.
Some of you probably know, it's my birthday this Thursday.
Last week, I'd arranged to go see Pirates with Amie and Christine on Monday night. When Paul heard about this, he got a bit worried and was like "you can't...I have a surprise dinner planned Monday night for your birthday".
So, I saw Pirates on Sunday with them and awaited this surprise dinner on Monday night...
What he'd not told me...well, dinner was kinda true - but there was SO much more!! Let me tell you about my day yesterday!
At morning tea my boss told me that I should go on lunch at 12, because I'd be the only one on support in the afternoon as Peter was going into training with him.
So, I went on lunch, got home and Paul was there - he meets me with a big grin, saying I don't have to go back to work. I was like "WHAT?" and I called the office to make sure - work confirmed it - yes, I was having the rest of the day off.
Paul said we were going to Mooloolabah. Could I drive, though, because he needed to sort some things out via SMS and needed access to his phone without me getting to it!
I was like, "What, are we going to underwater world to swim with the seals?"
"No, nothing to do with the water actually"
"Right...you aren't dropping me out of a helicopter or something?"
"No, nothing to do with the air either."
"So, we're staying on land..."
He wouldn't give me any idea what was going on.
We got to Mooloolabah at 2:30, and he said we were about half an hour too early. I'm thinking "okay, so he's booked us on a tour or something that leaves at a specific time?"
He kept text messaging someone too, so I assumed it was the tour guide or something, and tried to calm down (I'd been winding myself up for about 2 hours by now). We went and sat at the beach watched the ocean and waited til about 3:15.
Then he took me back across the road to one of the cafes. Spun me around so I couldn't see something, then turned me back and said "Walk into the cafe".
"I don't want to."
"Yes Melinda, you do."
So I'm walking through thinking "Who the hell are we meeting?" and I see someone I recognise in the corner booth - ISOBELLE CARMODY. She was waving at me and grinning. We went and sat down with her, she said happy birthday, and they told me the story of what was going on!
Paul had taken one of my letters from Isobelle for her address, and written to her while she was in Prague at the beginning of May, asking if she'd be able to meet up with me for my birthday while she was in QLD for Voices on the Coast.
And she said, he'd approached it in such a lovely way, she thought, she had to do this. So she and him have been conspiring for the past couple of weeks, arranging everything by letter, email and SMS!
So, I spent yesterday afternoon with Isobelle and Paul in a cafe, talking about everything and anything - travel and her writing, kids and all sorts of stuff, she told us this fantastic story about how Little Fur was developed, we told her what we do, how the website comes together, it was so exciting and the whole time I was just thinking 'don't babble, whatever you do, don't babble!'.
I think I did babble a bit, though...she was saying she loves seeing all the different sections of the site now, and reading all our theories, and seeing who's close and all the effort and analysis that goes into it (I mentioned the current favourite about Hannah being the Red Queen and all the paths that's lead us down). I also told her about our whole "the Pig is the Destroyer" theory, which she laughed a lot about! She's also said she'd love to read our fanfiction on the site, but she started doing so once and thought "this is too good"; she said, if she reads it, there's a risk that she'll be influenced by it, and doesn't want to do that.
She'd said she was thinking of bringing along the first chapter of the Stone Key for a present for me to read, but she'd decided against it in the end, because then I'd have to wait for 6 months before I could read the rest. Though, she said that she's going to mail me one of the first copies she gets, so Paul and I will be the first people to get TSK (before it comes out in stores)! She's just so amazingly nice!!
She also mentioned that she's always referring obernewtyn.net to people - they ask, does she blog, does she have a site, and she said she'd much rather communicate through letters to us on Obernet!
Then, Paul said we were going to the Voices on the Coast launch party that night. Isobelle was going to be talking ("I was just told this morning I'm up on stage talking, I've got no idea what I'm going to say!" she said) and there was food, drinks, etc.
So, after the cafe, Isobelle said she was being picked up at quarter past 5 (we left the cafe at about 4:45), and for us to meet her at the hotel so we could follow them out there (because we didn't know where we were going, thank god the driver did!).
I had this surreal moment in the car on the way there;
"Paul...do you realise what we're doing?"
"What?"
"...We're following Isobelle Carmody's car."
"...so?"
"...that's stalking, isn't it?"
"Not when they told you to follow them, Min."
When we got to the university, Isobelle was greeted by authors and other guests, and Paul and I looked around at the books and artworks for a couple of minutes, there were some lovely dragon watercolours floating around, and some strings in the corner playing Vivaldi. Isobelle then headed to the bar and was nodding over the crowd to me ie "you want one?"
I'd already gotten a drink so she just laughed, and then came over and talked to us again. She was explaining who people were to us - there were so many other authors there, and she knew all of them. "She's just won Children's book of the year." "Oh, (so-and-so's) not here? He's probably drunk passed out under the table somewhere!" "She's just gotten her first book published, she's really excited!"
Then she was like "I'm sick of standing up, let's go sit somewhere" and the three of us moved off and sat around talking and getting all the good food first.
Another author (who happens to be teaching English in Corinda!) came and sat with us and joined in the conversations, it was awesome. So the four of us sat around drinking and eating and just talking about...well, everything! It was such a full day/night I can hardly remember it all, it was a real whirlwind!
One of the young authors (Jack Heath) who's just gotten published came over "It's so great to meet the person who inspired me to write" to Isobelle, he was such a great guy, he was telling me later (after he found out how I was connected to all of this) that it's really bizarre, because he's just found out that he has an unofficial fan club on myspace, but he's still awaiting authorisation from the website owners to join - his own fansite! A couple of people asked her to sign some of the books they'd just bought while we were waiting for 7pm to roll around.
I mean, I thought Isobelle would be so busy all night that she wouldn't be able to talk to us, but she hung out with us all night and other people just came to her!
I'd asked Isobelle earlier, too - "Can you tell how Little Fur was created again, that's a great story, everyone here will love it!"
And when she got up to talk, she told it! It's such a cool story, if you guys see her in Melbourne, ask her to tell it!!
We sat with Jack while the talks were on. After that there was about 15 minutes of coffee we bought a couple of books (the new print of Farseekers for me - I had to, it has different map razz and Paul bought the new print of TKP). Isobelle was talking to a bunch of people people, but came over and found us again ("I didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye!"). We had a bit of a chat about the new covers;
IC: They'd told me they were going to paint the portraits of the Elspeth's - but then decided to keep the photos because they think they're more modern - you should have seen some of the cover designs they sent me - pouty models going like this (and pulls a face sticking her lower lip out and chin up).
Me: Do you know if they used the same model for all the photos of Elspeth?
IC: I'm not sure, the one on Ashling doesn't look like the others at all.
Me: That's what a lot of people have been saying, but we thought it could have been Bruna?
IC: Yes, exactly (knowingly).
She was saying at that point how much she loves the Stone Key cover, and she'd been thinking of sending a draft of TSK before it was published to check for errors "because you lot remember so much more about the books than I do!". But then she said she'd thought, how mean would that be? - send a book that you have to check for continuity errors, rather than to enjoy it?
Me: Oh, I wouldn't mind!! Though I know a lot of people would kill me..!
Somehow we got talking about the mistake in Ashling, where Kella references Domick instead of Pavo.
Me: Why haven't they fixed that yet?
IC: (dryly) Yes. Why.
(She's asked them they just keep forgetting)
And then she got dragged off with all the other Authors hitching a lift back to the hotels and we took off back for Brissy...she signed both our books, in Paul's copy of TKP she wrote "To Paul - you are the best boyfriend!"
We all walked out to our various cars and she called out "See you at the Sending Launch!".
And that was it.
But WHOA.
It was probably THE most thoughtful present I've ever gotten.
Everyone at work is giving me sort of befuddled expressions at my excitement, but I know you guys will appreciate it!
I'm still hunting down photos from the launch (Paul didn't take the camera!) but here's a photo of Isobelle and I in the cafe, and then one of the books table with all the new covers that Paul took on his phone smile
Anyway, I'm back off to work, I'm on lunch ATM but have been bursting to post this since we got home last night!!
Isobelle - thank you SO much for taking the time out to meet up with Paul and I. I'm completely blown away by the day I had yesterday...and I will always remember it!
It's a really long account...but it gets there in the end...
Quote:
(from this post)
Oh...wow, have I got a story to tell!
I have the best boyfriend in the world.
Some of you probably know, it's my birthday this Thursday.
Last week, I'd arranged to go see Pirates with Amie and Christine on Monday night. When Paul heard about this, he got a bit worried and was like "you can't...I have a surprise dinner planned Monday night for your birthday".
So, I saw Pirates on Sunday with them and awaited this surprise dinner on Monday night...
What he'd not told me...well, dinner was kinda true - but there was SO much more!! Let me tell you about my day yesterday!
At morning tea my boss told me that I should go on lunch at 12, because I'd be the only one on support in the afternoon as Peter was going into training with him.
So, I went on lunch, got home and Paul was there - he meets me with a big grin, saying I don't have to go back to work. I was like "WHAT?" and I called the office to make sure - work confirmed it - yes, I was having the rest of the day off.
Paul said we were going to Mooloolabah. Could I drive, though, because he needed to sort some things out via SMS and needed access to his phone without me getting to it!
I was like, "What, are we going to underwater world to swim with the seals?"
"No, nothing to do with the water actually"
"Right...you aren't dropping me out of a helicopter or something?"
"No, nothing to do with the air either."
"So, we're staying on land..."
He wouldn't give me any idea what was going on.
We got to Mooloolabah at 2:30, and he said we were about half an hour too early. I'm thinking "okay, so he's booked us on a tour or something that leaves at a specific time?"
He kept text messaging someone too, so I assumed it was the tour guide or something, and tried to calm down (I'd been winding myself up for about 2 hours by now). We went and sat at the beach watched the ocean and waited til about 3:15.
Then he took me back across the road to one of the cafes. Spun me around so I couldn't see something, then turned me back and said "Walk into the cafe".
"I don't want to."
"Yes Melinda, you do."
So I'm walking through thinking "Who the hell are we meeting?" and I see someone I recognise in the corner booth - ISOBELLE CARMODY. She was waving at me and grinning. We went and sat down with her, she said happy birthday, and they told me the story of what was going on!
Paul had taken one of my letters from Isobelle for her address, and written to her while she was in Prague at the beginning of May, asking if she'd be able to meet up with me for my birthday while she was in QLD for Voices on the Coast.
And she said, he'd approached it in such a lovely way, she thought, she had to do this. So she and him have been conspiring for the past couple of weeks, arranging everything by letter, email and SMS!
So, I spent yesterday afternoon with Isobelle and Paul in a cafe, talking about everything and anything - travel and her writing, kids and all sorts of stuff, she told us this fantastic story about how Little Fur was developed, we told her what we do, how the website comes together, it was so exciting and the whole time I was just thinking 'don't babble, whatever you do, don't babble!'.
I think I did babble a bit, though...she was saying she loves seeing all the different sections of the site now, and reading all our theories, and seeing who's close and all the effort and analysis that goes into it (I mentioned the current favourite about Hannah being the Red Queen and all the paths that's lead us down). I also told her about our whole "the Pig is the Destroyer" theory, which she laughed a lot about! She's also said she'd love to read our fanfiction on the site, but she started doing so once and thought "this is too good"; she said, if she reads it, there's a risk that she'll be influenced by it, and doesn't want to do that.
She'd said she was thinking of bringing along the first chapter of the Stone Key for a present for me to read, but she'd decided against it in the end, because then I'd have to wait for 6 months before I could read the rest. Though, she said that she's going to mail me one of the first copies she gets, so Paul and I will be the first people to get TSK (before it comes out in stores)! She's just so amazingly nice!!
She also mentioned that she's always referring obernewtyn.net to people - they ask, does she blog, does she have a site, and she said she'd much rather communicate through letters to us on Obernet!
Then, Paul said we were going to the Voices on the Coast launch party that night. Isobelle was going to be talking ("I was just told this morning I'm up on stage talking, I've got no idea what I'm going to say!" she said) and there was food, drinks, etc.
So, after the cafe, Isobelle said she was being picked up at quarter past 5 (we left the cafe at about 4:45), and for us to meet her at the hotel so we could follow them out there (because we didn't know where we were going, thank god the driver did!).
I had this surreal moment in the car on the way there;
"Paul...do you realise what we're doing?"
"What?"
"...We're following Isobelle Carmody's car."
"...so?"
"...that's stalking, isn't it?"
"Not when they told you to follow them, Min."
When we got to the university, Isobelle was greeted by authors and other guests, and Paul and I looked around at the books and artworks for a couple of minutes, there were some lovely dragon watercolours floating around, and some strings in the corner playing Vivaldi. Isobelle then headed to the bar and was nodding over the crowd to me ie "you want one?"
I'd already gotten a drink so she just laughed, and then came over and talked to us again. She was explaining who people were to us - there were so many other authors there, and she knew all of them. "She's just won Children's book of the year." "Oh, (so-and-so's) not here? He's probably drunk passed out under the table somewhere!" "She's just gotten her first book published, she's really excited!"
Then she was like "I'm sick of standing up, let's go sit somewhere" and the three of us moved off and sat around talking and getting all the good food first.
Another author (who happens to be teaching English in Corinda!) came and sat with us and joined in the conversations, it was awesome. So the four of us sat around drinking and eating and just talking about...well, everything! It was such a full day/night I can hardly remember it all, it was a real whirlwind!
One of the young authors (Jack Heath) who's just gotten published came over "It's so great to meet the person who inspired me to write" to Isobelle, he was such a great guy, he was telling me later (after he found out how I was connected to all of this) that it's really bizarre, because he's just found out that he has an unofficial fan club on myspace, but he's still awaiting authorisation from the website owners to join - his own fansite! A couple of people asked her to sign some of the books they'd just bought while we were waiting for 7pm to roll around.
I mean, I thought Isobelle would be so busy all night that she wouldn't be able to talk to us, but she hung out with us all night and other people just came to her!
I'd asked Isobelle earlier, too - "Can you tell how Little Fur was created again, that's a great story, everyone here will love it!"
And when she got up to talk, she told it! It's such a cool story, if you guys see her in Melbourne, ask her to tell it!!
We sat with Jack while the talks were on. After that there was about 15 minutes of coffee we bought a couple of books (the new print of Farseekers for me - I had to, it has different map razz and Paul bought the new print of TKP). Isobelle was talking to a bunch of people people, but came over and found us again ("I didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye!"). We had a bit of a chat about the new covers;
IC: They'd told me they were going to paint the portraits of the Elspeth's - but then decided to keep the photos because they think they're more modern - you should have seen some of the cover designs they sent me - pouty models going like this (and pulls a face sticking her lower lip out and chin up).
Me: Do you know if they used the same model for all the photos of Elspeth?
IC: I'm not sure, the one on Ashling doesn't look like the others at all.
Me: That's what a lot of people have been saying, but we thought it could have been Bruna?
IC: Yes, exactly (knowingly).
She was saying at that point how much she loves the Stone Key cover, and she'd been thinking of sending a draft of TSK before it was published to check for errors "because you lot remember so much more about the books than I do!". But then she said she'd thought, how mean would that be? - send a book that you have to check for continuity errors, rather than to enjoy it?
Me: Oh, I wouldn't mind!! Though I know a lot of people would kill me..!
Somehow we got talking about the mistake in Ashling, where Kella references Domick instead of Pavo.
Me: Why haven't they fixed that yet?
IC: (dryly) Yes. Why.
(She's asked them they just keep forgetting)
And then she got dragged off with all the other Authors hitching a lift back to the hotels and we took off back for Brissy...she signed both our books, in Paul's copy of TKP she wrote "To Paul - you are the best boyfriend!"
We all walked out to our various cars and she called out "See you at the Sending Launch!".
And that was it.
But WHOA.
It was probably THE most thoughtful present I've ever gotten.
Everyone at work is giving me sort of befuddled expressions at my excitement, but I know you guys will appreciate it!
I'm still hunting down photos from the launch (Paul didn't take the camera!) but here's a photo of Isobelle and I in the cafe, and then one of the books table with all the new covers that Paul took on his phone smile
Anyway, I'm back off to work, I'm on lunch ATM but have been bursting to post this since we got home last night!!
Isobelle - thank you SO much for taking the time out to meet up with Paul and I. I'm completely blown away by the day I had yesterday...and I will always remember it!
