Megan Whalen Turner, part 3 of 3

Megan:

Back when the internet was a little newer and more spiffy, I used to get the "Prove to me that you can use the Internet" report-doers.  The teachers obviously wanted the kids to brush up on their net researching skills and were killing two birds with one stone.  They had students pick authors and then do research to find out when they were born, where they lived, where they went to elementary school, who their best friend was.  All kinds of esoteric personal information that, as you know, I'm not really comfortable posting for the world to read.  So I would get these pathetic little e-mails from students saying, "I can't find anything and I'm going to faaiiiillllll."

I usually answered what I could and offered to explain to their teachers why I wouldn't answer the rest.  Probably teachers all over the country now introduce this unit by saying, "And you are not allowed to pick Megan Whalen Turner, so don't even think about telling me you couldn't find out anything about your author."

I went to look at your biography and admired your plastic pig.  And I read your blog where everybody has better answers for that question:  what about writing is different than you expected?   I'm totally with Robin Brande:  What She Said.  I really wish my books would grow like mushrooms when I wasn't looking.  Sometimes I look at the text on the screen and I think how nice it would be if it would write itself and all I had to do was read over it.

Also, I never answered the question you asked in your first e-mail, what would I do if I could do anything I wanted without being arrested or causing world-wide destruction:   I would move into the British Museum.  "So sorry, Your Majesty, but the Elgin marbles are mine now.  The Treasure of Sutton Hoo.  Mine.  The Reading Room, the Court.  Mine, all mine."

I love the British Museum.  We're going to London at Christmas-time and I think we will spend the whole week there.  Of course, the Met in New York is nice; I could live there, too…but no, it's the British Museum for me.  They have a Hands On History program where they let you hold stuff:  those little oil lamps from Sparta, Eye icons from Sumer, Flint Hand Axes that are Eight Thousand Years Old.  Have I said that I love…yes, I did.

Shannon:

*cough* You also haven’t answered the question yet about what you’re working on now, if there will be any more books with Gen...

Oh, that.

I am working on the next book in the sequence.  It is going very slowly and I am behind.  Unless my editor is reading this, in which case, I am writing, Virginia! Writing!

Yay!

I wouldn't know anything about being behind...(still working on graphic novel sequel that was due months ago, first draft of fourth Bayern book due this month and only have 75 pages...). Thank goodness for patient editors. Mine has twin three-year-olds and much understanding.

I think that I already gave you my advice, unsolicited, but I am happy to say again that a number of people warned me that I shouldn't expect to get any real work done until my youngest child was in school full time.  But, I didn't find small children any impediment to writing.  I hired a babysitter (several great ones, actually, thank you Trisha Falvey, thank you Nancy Schaffstall!)  and wrote The Thief and The Queen of Attolia.  It wasn't that hard to find someone to feed babies, change babies and take babies to the park. Then they grew up and went to school.  You can't pay someone else to go on field trips for you, or help them with their homework. Never mind that when you hire a babysitter you get to set the schedule and hire them when it is convenient for you.  The elementary school is just not as accommodating.  So write, quick! Quick!

I am sure you've read L'Engle's obits.  Did you see?  She had a cape.

You knew it! You totally called that. See, we need to score ourselves some capes, and maybe some very long dresses so it looks like we're floating. Oh, and have people play some kind of theme music whenever we walk into a room--something mystical maybe. Or perhaps the theme from Shaft.

That Megan is one bad motha--
Shut your mouth!
I'm just talkin' 'bout Megan.
We can dig it!

Nope.  Sorry, but no.  Not a chance.  Hopeless.
Madeleine L'Engle could wear a cape.
Maybe you can wear a cape.  Maybe you would rock in a cape.
Not me.
I am too short.  I'd look like an ewok.
Not even with musical back-up could I bring it off.

Not even with the ewok theme from the end of Return of the Jedi? That might really rock. I'm just sayin', it might be worth considering. Ewoks are cool. (My husband disagrees, but I'm sticking to it--EWOKS ARE COOL.)

I think I'm a sucker for costumes. I wore a Regency dress to the release party for Austenland, and I'll be wearing a traditional dress for my release party for Book of a Thousand Days. Guess it's my theater background. Maybe it helps me feel less like I'm normal old me up there and more like I'm someone else, The Author, a Woman of Note, a Personage Worth Listening To. Or maybe it's just fun. Most authors I know feel like they're playing a part whenever they do public appearances and book tours, and then go home just exhausted.

Yes, I get tired at public appearances, even though I love meeting people who like my book.

This was fun.  I hope to meet you in person soon, and I hope that when I do, you have your cape on.  Work on the wind-speaking thing, okay?  I don’t want to be disappointed!

Thank you, Megan! Holy cow, folks, wasn’t she awesome? How lucky am I to be in a business where I can trick Megan Whalen Turner into thinking I’m cool enough to hold a long email conversation with me? Lu-cky. I hope I didn’t steal too much of her time away from writing, because we need another book, Megan. We need your words. Please. Soon.