[LMB] Lois at Booksmith, June 30, 2007

[Carol Gray-Ricci]

The crowd for Lois speaking and signing at Booksmith Saturday evening was smaller than usual, but very enthusiastic.  She didn't talk much about the next books due out, other than saying that next out will be a Bean compendium, then the two "Wide Green World" books, and there is at least one more Miles book to come from Baen, but there isn't a date on it yet.    She mentioned how the two covers on the Sharing Knife books fit together, and showed them to us side by side.  One thing she said about her writing that I don't remember hearing before, is that when she starts seeing pictures of the characters in action, she knows she is ready to start writing that scene.

After the signing was over, Bert and I took her, her driver Frank Lauria (also a writer), and my cousin Dick Brownell to Siam Lotus for dinner.  When I asked her if she would like to join us (a very last minute invitation) her eyes it up at the mention of Siam Lotus, then she started to wonder if it was a good idea when she had an early flight out, but on the other hand, she had not eaten since 4:30 that afternoon.  I suggested that she wait until she had finished signing to give a final answer, and it became "Yes"  

We didn't discuss much about her work at dinner, the place was rather noisy, but I think she had a good time.  When we left, the waiters lined up near out table and waved and shouted "Goodbye, have a nice weekend"  Although Bert and I go in there quite often, we never get that kind of farewell.

I informed Lois that Robert Parks wasn't there because he had had a lot of real and unreal life happenings lately, and was committed to working on some hiking trails over the weekend.  She was glad to hear it, because she had noticed that he was not there, and had wondered if something was wrong.

Bert and I promised to see her in Denver at WorldCon, since she had mentioned in her speech that she was going to be guest of honor there.

Also, I mentioned that I would hear more about Fawn's Aunt Nattie, particularly how a blind wife's sister became such an influence in a farmer household, that was an essentially patriarchal society.  Lois laughed and said that sounded like a job for "Fanfic Girl".  I'm not a writer, but does anyone want to try it?  She did mention that Nattie is the oldest adult, and had her own source of income (spinning and weaving).  This did give me one idea:  if there were two or three very bad crop years, her earnings, and possibly her savings, may have been what kept the family from starving or from losing the farm.


Carol Gray-Ricci
felinoid at earthlink.net