Why I'm Going To Charleston

[elisem]

I'm going for the book release celebration for the first part of The Gathering Storm.



Well, see, I have to go. Because one day, I printed out something and handed it to a friend.

Here, I'll let her tell it:

"A friend from Minneapolis was visiting me in the week of Robert Jordan's funeral, and she came up to me—I was sitting at the dinner table [?]—and she said "You need to read this." It was Brandon's eulogy for Robert Jordan which he had posted online, and Elise Mattheson is her name, and Elise knows that I am something of Luddite, so she couldn't just say, "Here's a good link." [laughter] If she put it in front of me on paper, I would read it. And I thought, my goodness, this is just the feeling for Robert Jordan's work, that I would like to see in anyone who was going to finish the books." -- Harriet McDougal from a bookstore Q&A in 2013 (scroll down to question 12).

[EDITED TO ADD: Please note: there was originally a different link here to Harriet telling a little more about it, but the link is defunct, alas. If I find a new link to it, I will come back and put it here.

EDITED TO ADD: Here is a report from the event itself, with photos.]



And that's why I really, really have to be there.



Edited to add: the thing I printed out was this.

Comments

[coffeeem.livejournal.com]

Aww, you matchmaker, you. <3

Well, you just remember to travel mindfully, then. And channel your inner crone-y matriarch-y person so you won't hesitate to ask for help and special considerations and little electric zippy-carts. Because little electric zippy-carts are awesome.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Go forth, and do good things.

[pameladean]

Yes, yes you do. But if I may second, third, and fourth coffeeem's remarks, I do so fervently.

You are better at mindfulness than almost anybody I know, but you may be a little tired of it at the moment.

Travel safe.

Pamela

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Will do. Am taking the rolling walker, which has that nifty integral (padded!) seat, and a basket for carrying stuff. That way, I'll always have a chair wherever I go. (Praise again to the Juan for advising that I get that walker rather than the bare-bones one. Smart thinky Juan!)

[otherwise-nyc.livejournal.com]

Good call, on that kind of walker! Since, if you are needing the walking-help, you might also need to sit suddenly-ish. I only use a cane, and sometimes find I want to sit more suddenly than the walky-people have put a seat. :)

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Yeah. And having fibromyalgia along with the hip replacement recuperation makes the tiredness kind of exponential sometimes. I can run out of gas abruptly.

[selkie-b.livejournal.com]

I think you'll have a wonderful time!

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. What a great story, and it happened thanks to you. Untold numbers of people are in your debt.

[aedifica]

That makes me want to read the series. (I had decided years ago that I wasn't going to til it was finished, because of how my friends complained when they finished each book and the next one wasn't available yet, and then over the years it migrated into the category of "books I don't read." But now maybe I will.)

[elisem.livejournal.com]

That's the irony here. But I should make a post about that, really.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is wonderful.

[panjianlien.livejournal.com]

A fine shidduch! Travel beautifully, you.

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

I live there so if you have any questions, feel free! (piglet's sister)

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Oh, hi! Didn't we meet in a coffee shop near King Street once?

[elisem.livejournal.com]

If I'm remembering right, anyway -- it was a while back. But my somewhat fuzzy memory files have very positive emotions connected with you, and that part's always right on, whether we met or piglet just told me about you.

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

Yes, we did--I'm glad you reminded me! And then again at Wiscon this year (I love my earrings, btw). :)

[trinker.livejournal.com]

GAH! Why didn't I remember this when I was in Charleston all summer with the kiddos?

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

(Sound tech that I am, I'm wondering why Brandon's off mic. Silly editor, he's wearing a mic, I presume the sound was there, why didn't you use it?)

Anyway, I've got the book on pre-order. I hitched myself to the series so long ago, my now 22-year-old son was a toddler. I remember starting the first book and having to stop all the time to make sure Danny wasn't into something he shouldn't be into :).

Have a wonderful trip, and take good care of yourself.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Is he off-mic? I can actually hear him, so I figured all was fine. (Hey, if the hard-of-hearing lady can hear....)

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

In my professional opinion :), the sound of his voice is what's being heard from Harriet's mic. So he sounds somewhat like he's in a bucket.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Ah! Good to know. (And that probably demonstrates the limitations of what I can hear, since I didn't actually register that.)

[aedifica]

This may be a thing sound techs notice more than the average bear, because I didn't notice it myself. I mention it for the sake of your opinion of your ears.

Edited to add: I listened to it again and I did notice this time, but only because I was listening for it.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

I have always had a high regard for good sound techs, and it doesn't surprise me a bit that you are one. ;-)

[sharingmystory.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU for playing matchmaker - we are eternally grateful!!!!! And have a great trip. :)

[harvestar.livejournal.com]

My husband, upon me telling him about this, says to tell you, "Thank you!"

(since he does have an LJ, but a shyness about posting comments)

[genevra.livejournal.com]

I was going to comment exactly this! :)

My husband is also among the grateful.

[shadowedrabbit.livejournal.com]

:gobsmacked:

I have always wondered how that ended up happening. I didn't read his eulogy until after he'd been chosen, but I agree with it.

I got to meet him when he was in town for the Mistborn 3 signing - and us WoT fans peppered him unmercifully. And, like Harriet, decided that he cared enough about the series that we were ok with him. After reading Elantris, I decided he could write well enough, too ;)

good job! Have fun!

[elisem.livejournal.com]

It was a most amazing day, when I printed that thing out and handed it to Harriet. It really was.

(I just joined Dragonmount, and posted an introduction telling the piece of the rest of that story that I haven't ever told before. Are you on Dragonmount by any chance?)

[shadowedrabbit.livejournal.com]

I lurk there (after years of lurking at WoTmania, RIP), but I haven't joined.

True story - when I told Sanderson I'd learned about him via Dragonmount, he asked which Ajah I was in. And I laughed (clearly throwing him off balance, because clearly, all women who loved WoT would be Aes Sedai.)

Mostly cause I'd be Aiel, if I was choosing ;)

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's funny! Well done!

WOW!

[prettymuchpeggy.livejournal.com]

You done good and YES you have to be there.

Re: WOW!

[elisem.livejournal.com]

It needed doing, and I was handy. That's my take on it.