LOOK WHAT I GOT!

Dear Readers, I have a wonderful friend. She is called Barbara and she lives in Canada, and she is part of my writing group The Furtive Scribblers. Barbara, on top of being an intimidatingly talented word artist, is also a dedicated craftsperson who is determined to hone her abilities to their very sharpest. As part of this, she goes to a lot of writing and genre festivals and conventions, and she meets a lot of other writers, including some very famous ones.

Now, as I may have mentioned on the blog before, I live in somewhat of a geographical cul de sac. Travel from my home to...er...well, pretty much anywhere is both expensive and exhausting, and as a result of this and the fact that I need to look after my father, I don't often get to go to writing related events. And this means that I don't have access to something which I love and adore. Something which Barbara gets her hands on quite often.

Signed books.

Barbara, dear, lovely Barbara, knows that signed books are like crack to me. She is the one who managed to get me a signed and personalised copy of The Other Wind by Ursula Le Guin, the book which I mention here as one of my ultimate writing influences (and by the way Ursula Le Guin? WE ARE NOT WORTHY *Bows Down*).

But this time, B. you have outdone yourself. This time when I opened the unexpected parcel that arrived on my doorstep I was not prepared for the awesomeosity that was to spill into my lap, oh no. 

Remember this story about The One , Dear Readers? About the lightning-struck moment of clarity when my life changed forever as I realised that I wanted to write fantasy for young adults? And the author whose book I was reading at the time was...

That's right.


B. it's possible I might have had a heart attack when I saw this. But it was totally worth it. You are a bright and shiny star, and like a star, you always lead me home eventually. I'll see you back in the FSC soon, promise.

*Snuggles book*