The Fangirl Experience: Meeting Leigh Bardugo

The Fangirl Experience is a monthly column suggested by Jaime Heller, featuring contributions from both our staff and our readers. Everybody has those moments when being a fangirl feels like the world has become perfectly balanced. It's those moments when you feel a stir in your heart that maybe you've made the right decision in falling down the fandom vortex. When, in the words of my good "friend" Zachary Levi, your "unbridled passion for something, or things, defines who they are as a person without fear of other people's judgment." It's that moment you want to share with the whole world, scream to the rooftops, about what happened. Maybe it's a small moment, maybe it's a big one. But every fangirl has one--or will have one--and we would like to share ours with you.

Because our Initiative would be nothing without the Experience.

(source)

By Jaime Heller

A few years ago, I picked up a YA high fantasy book series at the recommendation of an acquaintance: the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I was wonderstruck by this series because it was fantasy, but it took a different turn than the typical Western European-style world-building; it was based on a Slavic--or Russian/Eastern European--setting. It was refreshing to read something different and something that went deeper than other books. There was a lot of real-world issues brought to light within the story, and it was incredible to read a fantasy novel that led me to understand the real world more. (Just add that to the list of reasons I love fantasy.) Thus, when Leigh Bardugo scheduled an author visit within driving distance of where I live, I immediately messaged Kelly and demanded we go to this event.

A week ago, we had the privilege to hear Leigh Bardugo speak and also meet her face-to-face, and yes, get our books signed! (*fangirl squee*) The host library was about an hour and a half from where we live, so it was quite the adventure going (though we didn't get lost). We left early to avoid traffic and to scout out the library beforehand. (We needed to know exactly where and when and how we were going to see her.) We went to a mall to waste time and find something to eat, and then we headed back to the library with too much excitement for one car!

The whole trip there and while we waited I kept asking, "What should I say? What should I say?" because, of course, last time we met an author I completely blanked and didn't say one word. *facepalm* I had determined to mention at least three different things when I talked to her, but we'll get to that in a moment.

We returned to the library to find a line had started to purchase books. Since I didn't own any of her books, I had to buy both books for the Six of Crows duology: Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. I took them in my hand and just kind of sighed. I had read Six of Crows before, but Crooked Kingdom was brand new and I couldn't wait to read it. But I held off. (Because I knew if I started I would want to just read it all in one sitting.)

We still had about a half hour until the event started, so we found a seat and tried to work on our own world-building projects. It didn't last long because as the room filled with fangirls and, yes, fanboys, we were distracted by other discussions about books, writing, and fandoms! There were two people who sat in the same row as us that were also very excited to be there, and we talked to them about all types of things. It's hilarious to get a group of fangirls in a room together. We can be complete strangers yet find plenty to discuss and have absolutely no shame doing so.

Finally, finally, seven o'clock rolled around, and the teen librarian introduced Leigh in all her gorgeousness (silver hair, black dress, cane and all). It was great. The interviewer started off with a few of his own questions about her writing and the new book, and it was wonderful. Leigh was hilarious. She just nailed it on some of her responses. She also had a lot of good advice about writing and the writing process and how to be an author, and I'm grateful I was able to hear her speak. They opened up questions for the audience, and she answered from anything to everything: whether cereal is just cold soup, what are some intricate details about world-building and outlining, who her favorite OTPs are, which character is she the most like, and also things she couldn't answer about upcoming projects, including a Wonder Woman novel.

It was a blast to hear her talk, and I was quite entertained the entire time. Then we got in line for the book signing. We were near the back of the line, which was fine by us, so we had a lot of time to spend talking 'fangirl' with more people. Another fantasy author, Cinda Chima Williams, came to the event to see Leigh and get books signed (!!!!), so we obviously took a picture with her too. After about an hour and a half or so of waiting, it was my turn to meet her. (Kelly made me go first!)

I was still a little unsure what I wanted to say to her. I had wanted to mention the Wonder Woman project, but so many people brought it up during the Q and A and she wasn't allowed to say anything that I didn't want to be annoying. I also couldn't think of anything on the spot, though of course now I have like a dozen questions running around my brain.

So I stepped up and set the books on the table, and she said hi and asked if I was Jaime (the name on the sticky note), and I said yes. She asked if I'd ever been to one of her signings before and I said no. She asked if I had a favorite character, and I said no. (Though in hindsight I should have said "No, but I definitely relate to so-and-so the most" because she writes a quote for one of the characters.) She said that was fine. I did tell her my favorite character from the world was Nikolai, but he's not in Six of Crows. She signed my books, put "No Mourners, No Funerals" (a saying from the story), and was very sweet the whole time. I wish I hadn't been so nervous because I could have actually said something intelligent! We got a picture, and then, my time was over and it was Kelly's turn.

Even though I felt like I did the same thing when I met Marissa Meyer--blanked completely and looked like a complete buffoon for being shy--I still had a wonderful time going. I didn't have to ask her anything significant to enjoy the night. Hearing her talk, and laughing along with her and meeting her was enough to make the night worth it all.

But maybe next time, I'll think of something wonderful to say to her.

By Kelly Chaplin

You know that feeling you get waiting in line for an amusement park ride? You start to feel queasy, you lose all appetite, you overthink the situation, and you can’t stop thinking about what it’s going to be like when you finally get to experience it. Well, the build-up to meeting Leigh was in much the same manner of anticipation.

I was giddy, I was thrilled, I was...kind of nervous. In the end, it was spectacular, and here are the reasons why:

The Friends and New Acquaintances

Of course, it was a pleasure to hang out with Jaime for this big event celebrating the release of Crooked Kingdom. We had fun on the ride up and had an awesome time dawdling around the mall and library beforehand. It was also great to see a few people I knew. Waving a mutual friend over to sit by us and surprising the librarians I used to work with during my practicum were added bonuses.

It was also nice to see new faces and get to know those sitting next to us. In fact, I got to meet three lovely (once) strangers, all people who appreciated and respected Leigh. All people who had read her books and worshiped her writing just as much as I did.

The Interview

Before long, it was time for Leigh to make her grand entrance. Silvery, stylish hair, decked in all black, she looked stunning!! Now, I follow her on Instagram and Twitter, so I had a taste of how witty and hilarious she could be, but boy I was not prepared for her snappy, quick responses that kept getting smiles and laughs from the audience. She’s a true wordsmith, and I was absolutely starstruck to be in her presence. (Hence, the nervousness. She writes dark fantasy, and that's my favorite genre…)

There was even a surprise author in the audience: Cinda Williams Chima. She’d come to get her books signed by Leigh and, in response to this, Leigh exclaimed that there was a legend in the audience and made sure everyone knew who Cinda was.

After the interview, Jaime and I got to meet and take a picture with Cinda Williams Chima!! She was sweet and down to earth; she was amazing. And the best thing was that when I told her I’d received a job working with and for teens at a library, she HIGH-FIVED ME!!! Just goes to show that authors are the best people. They write for the good of their readers.

The Wait

Before we lined up to wait in line, everyone knew that there was something special waiting for them at the signing table...cards. Yes! Playing cards. But not just any type of card, no these were special in that they had the Six of Crows crew beautifully illustrated on each one, and if you picked the Wylan card, you would receive a poster with all the characters. I mean, I was excited for any of the cards. If you’ve read the book, you’d know that all the characters are equally complex and lovable.

We ended up at the END of the line! THE END!!! Oh, it was glorious. Not only did everyone in our group have time to catch up (and get to know each other for those who had just met), but it was also nice because meeting Leigh would feel even more special without eighty people behind us.

As we approached her signing desk, I asked Jaime to get in front of me. Jaime was just as brave as a Gryffindor (and just as bookish as a Ravenclaw) as she agreed to go first. She approached Leigh’s desk like a dazzling white knight approaches a dragon (with the intention of sipping hot chocolate with the dragon, not slaying it).

In mere minutes, I would talk to Leigh, and I didn’t even know what I was going to say.

The Meeting

This was it. This was what I’d been waiting for.

I stepped up to greet her. She took my book in her hands, and I blurted out, “I’m so nervous right now.” Yup, I know. Sounded lame to me too.

But she paused and glanced up. Honestly, I can’t remember what she said but she made me feel at ease. It was then that everything else just came spilling out. I told her how much of an honor it was to meet her. I told her how much I adored Kaz and Inej, to which she promptly wrote an Inej quote in one book and a Kaz quote in the other. And lastly, I told her how I was writing my own novel. She smiled and told me to let her know how it went. Her request even sounded sincere. Tweet to Leigh in the future? Perhaps.

I picked from the scattering of cards and drew Jesper. Smirk, guns, and all.

Phew, it had been a long night but a good night. And in the end, I was just happy to have gone because it was well worth having Leigh write “No mourners. No funerals” in my book. A bit of luck (and a pleasant greeting) is always welcome, especially from such a talented author.

Have you ever had an out-of-this-world fangirl experience? The Fangirl Initiative wouldn't be complete without the help of you, our readers. We want to hear and feature your stories and tales. If you have a fangirl experience you'd like to share in this column, let us know!

For more of the Experience, check out our Instagram for daily Fangirl Experiences.

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The Fangirl Experience: Meeting Marissa Meyer

The Fangirl Experience is a monthly column suggested by Jaime Heller, featuring contributions from both our staff and our readers. Everybody has those moments when being a fangirl feels like the world has become perfectly balanced. It's those moments when you feel a stir in your heart that maybe you've made the right decision in falling down the fandom vortex. When, in the words of my good "friend" Zachary Levi, your "unbridled passion for something, or things, defines who they are as a person without fear of other people's judgment." It's that moment you want to share with the whole world, scream to the rooftops, about what happened. Maybe it's a small moment, maybe it's a big one. But every fangirl has one--or will have one--and we would like to share ours with you.
Because our Initiative would be nothing without the Experience.

By Kelly Chaplin

I’ve loved fairy tales for as long as I can remember. At age seven, I was hanging off my deck to better serenade the birds, thinking somehow that if I sang "Once Upon a Dream", the forest critters would somehow understand me and flock to my aid. As I grew older, I became fascinated with the true fairy tales and fables: the gruesome Grimm tales, the beloved Hans Christian Anderson stories, the colorful Andrew Lang collection.

If ever something could compete with that burning passionate fangirly adoration, it would be Sailor Moon. She was a beacon of hope for all strong, independent young girls everywhere. To think, the man doesn't have to be the one saving you. Rather, you and all your closest gal pals could be the true heroes!

Thus, I come to The Lunar Chronicles. Ah! Where shall I begin? I remember waiting too long (in my opinion) to actually read them. I heard they were good, finally read them and then realized, huh, this sounds kind of like a combination between fairy tales AND Sailor Moon. Low and behold, the author is a huge fan of both.

And guess what! I was able to meet her. THE Marissa Meyer.  Okay, okay. Getting ahead of myself.

I had the honor to embark on this fabulous journey with none other than Jaime Heller. Mhmm, the one that writes for this blog.

After warning her that we'd get lost about 1,328 times (which we did, just about) and gushing about how badly I had wanted to meet Marissa (Jaime felt the same), we finally made it to Cincinnati, which apparently is one of Marissa Meyer's favorite stops on book tours.

Anyway, we got there. As we stepped through the bookstore's threshold, we could smell the newly printed books, “see” The Lunar Chronicles banners blowing in the nonexistent wind, and hear the cheers of hundreds of Marissa Meyer fans.

If you're wondering, she did not disappoint.

She greeted her fans with flare then proceeded to tell us the story of The Little Mermaid.  Nope, not Disney's The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.  You know, the one where the mermaid turns to sea-foam at the end. Yup, it does NOT have a happy ending.

I couldn't believe that not only would I be (in just a few moments) meeting Marissa, but that she would be telling us the original tale of The Little Mermaid in classic storyteller fashion. I nearly cried, both from the tale's tragic ending and from my own Ican’tbelievethisisactuallyhappeningtome freakout. After said events happened, everyone fell into position. We waited a long time...a LONG TIME. But my, was it worth it.

Before you actually met her, Marissa's publicist had set up a white board with the various Lunar Chronicles’ characters' names.  You could vote for your favorite female and favorite male character!  I, of course, voted for Cress and Thorne because...they're CRESS AND THORNE!

Then, it was time.

I just had to tell Marissa that I appreciated her loving two of my favorite things in the world: fairy tales and Sailor Moon. She immediately held up her hand for a high five! GAH, it was way too exciting. I think my heart exploded, and I had to magically regrow another one.

But yes, all that waiting was worth it.  And the journey to get there was just as worthwhile.

By Jaime Heller

Once Upon A Time... I stumbled across a book series that I've been trying to convince other people to read ever since. I'm not sure when I first picked up The Lunar Chronicles, but I know it was well before the final book came out, and I had to wait an agonizing year and a half to read the conclusion. But when I read the first book, Cinder, I was immediately hooked by the concept. It was Star Wars meets fairy tales meets Terminator. How could I resist such an idea?

Yet, it was so much bigger than just another book series. It. Was. Amazing. I was so mad I hadn't thought of writing these books first! Cinder swept me away into a space opera fantasy with cyborgs, androids, and a deadly virus. It was a combination of pretty much everything I love (except dragons). I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters, which had become friends, when the final book, Winter, came out in November of 2015. But it wasn't the end. They announced a collection of short stories about the characters with the most gorgeous title: Stars Above. I was so psyched to read more. But then there was even better news: Marissa Meyer would be going on tour yet again for this book!

I'd apparently missed her other book tours, lost in the stars of The Lunar Chronicles instead. But I didn't get my hopes up. Living in the middle of nowhere Ohio means authors never seem to visit for book tours. Not even to bigger, nearby cities like Cleveland or Columbus. I'd only met a few small authors, who I barely knew myself, due to school events. I'd never dreamed I'd be able to meet any of my favorite authors--especially those with best-selling books--without traveling far distances and spending lots of money.

Until the Stars Above book tour schedule was released. Marissa Meyer would be in Cincinnati, OH, on a weekend day. Not only was this a doable trip for a weekend, but my sister happens to live only about an hour from the bookstore. This would be perfect!

Thus, on a whim, I recruited Kelly to join me for this expedition. As she said, we traveled to Cincinnati, only getting lost maybe once or twice... or three times. We adventured to a place neither of us had been, and we prepared ourselves by discussing everything from writing to favorite characters to superheroes and other fangirl-approved things. (I also recruited Kelly to join TFI during the trip. You're welcome.)

We got to the bookstore (extra early, just in case) somewhat successfully and managed to maneuver into a parking spot. Outside the bookstore, there was a chalkboard sign to announce upcoming events. Apparently, the bookstore was celebrating YA Week, and they'd had other authors visit previously. But someone had drawn the book cover of Stars Above on the chalkboard, which was marvelous!

Seriously, though, these are so cool.

We entered the bookstores and could hardly contain our excitement for the next hour or so. As part of the event, we had to pre-order the book in order to get a pass into the signing line. I was perfectly fine with buying the book with its wonderful hardcover format and beautiful cover. I had already read it because I didn't want to wait! So we went and got our books, clutching them tightly to our chests as if that would help us contain ourselves. Then, we were left to explore the entire bookstore.

Like Kelly mentioned, the YA section was super cool with more chalk-drawn book covers. They had a nice selection throughout the store, which opened up the opportunity for us to recommend must-read books to each other. We even helped a few other people choose books to read. There were plenty of books I longed to buy but realized my wallet was a bit on the empty side (especially if I wanted to eat dinner after the event).

This was the YA section. Pretty neat!

Finally, after we looked at the fanart contest pieces, squealed over the group of girls dressed as the characters, and anxiously looked all around us for a glimpse of Marissa Meyer's arrival, the event began. Marissa Meyer came out. She talked about her past book tours, about the new stories, and about future projects. She confirmed that Stars Above wasn't going to be the end of The Lunar Chronicles either! In a year or so, graphic novels set in this world and with these characters will be made. (I'm super psyched for these. Maybe Marissa will go on tour again, and we could see her again!)

She told us the true story of The Little Mermaid, which was delightful to experience. I realized I hadn't heard the original story in full before. Sure, I knew the ending, but I hadn't actually heard it. Then, the signing line began. We had to wait a while, but it just gave us the opportunity to talk to other people and to discuss books! What better thing is there to do while in a bookstore?

These were the fanart submissions. Each one was beautiful and unique! 

Finally, our section was called, and we got in line. We waited, looking at more books. We got to the staircase, which led up to the signing table, and my heart was thrumming louder than the starship Rampion. The favorite character poll was super cool, especially the various names people had added in addition to the normal cast. (I added one myself, Winter's wolf friend, Ryu.) Then, it was our turn to go to the signing table.

Kelly went first, which was adorable as she mentioned. I was so nervous when I walked over to the table. Marissa said hi, I don't remember what I did or said in response. She signed the book. The whole time was thinking "What should I say? What should I say?" My brain had suddenly gone completely blank. I couldn't think of anything to say! Then, we were taking a picture. (With the coolest background ever! I wished I could take it home and hang it in my room.) And it was over.

In the flurry of nerves and brain hiccups, I had forgotten to grab a free Lunar Chronicles swag! (I'm still angry with myself.) We walked back down the steps; my whole body felt like jelly, and I thought I was shaking. But I felt so... dumb. I hadn't said anything intelligent or cool to Marissa. I didn't get to mention how much I loved Thorne or to ask if she meant to reference some of the other fairy tales that weren't one of the four main retellings. Instead, I'd just awkwardly stood there and watched through blurred eyes as she signed the book, and I'd taken a picture with someone I hadn't even said anything to! Oh, the woes of being a fangirl.

Still, the whole trip, the whole experience was fun and exciting. I can openly scream to the world that Marissa Meyer touched me! (I've got photographic proof too.) I can show off my signed book and tell people that I heard her speak.

It was definitely a day to remember, an opportunity I hadn't had the chance to experience before. Plus, Marissa Meyer was pretty darn cool and laid-back. Despite my failing to say anything or my nervousness making me feel like the whole thing went by in a blur of books, chatter, and escalated emotions, I think at the end of the day... it was a happily ever after.

Have you ever had an out-of-this-world fangirl experience? The Fangirl Initiative wouldn't be complete without the help of you, our readers. We want to hear and feature your stories and tales. If you have a fangirl experience you'd like to share in this column, let us know!

For more of the Experience, check out our Instagram for daily Fangirl Experiences.

All photos were taken by Kelly Chaplin.

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