posted
Hey you might not remember me, but I am a big fan of your books. I was at the Barns&Nobles book signing. I have an older brother named Baxter. I am glad that you came there to discuss your books with us =)
Posts: 2 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Hey Baxter and Edward -- this is Mrs. Card but I just wanted to say Hi and it was fun talking to you at the signing! Glad you came to Hatrack.
Posts: 780 | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
I don't wish to hijack a thread with my first post, but it seemed appropriate to keep the discussion of the Bailey's Crossroads signing in one place.
Today has been a day spent in gratitude for the event last night. I approached the meeting as an opportunity to soak in some of the magic I always take from OSC's books, but it turned into much more. When my turn came in line, all the events in my life that have lead up to this day combined in an eruption of anxiety, thrusting my heart directly into my throat. While my girlfriend, Leanna, a recent fan of Ender's Game, had her book signed, I attempted to relay my thanks for creating a piece of work that has provided so much to me as a person when I needed it the most. I was not eloquent, and most certainly vague, as the words floated out of my brain, bypassing my mouth, but the point somehow still snuck through, that I was a child who had been unwillingly forced into an adult world at an early age. I could not have phrased my appreciation more ineptly, but OSC was gracious and understanding in his response, and my sincere gratitude for that is without compare. There were things that could not be expressed by words, and with a knowing nod, he humbly acknowledged my veneration.
Once again, I thank you. Today I wrote about the experience in my Livejournal, and noted that you signed my book "On the shoulders of giants". In my life, this could not be more accurate.
posted
on the subject of the Bailey's Crossroads signing...
I also wanted to thank OSC for coming to the D.C. area. This is the first time I've gotten to meet you in person. I greatly appreciate that you signed SotG for a writer friend of mine who recently published his first book, and that you were kind enough to ask me about that book. I'm embarrassed to say that in the excitement of meeting you, I managed to misquote the title of his book. In case you were interested in reading a fantasy novel by someone who I hope is an up-and-coming author, I wanted to correct my mistake. The book is _The Shadow Chaser_ by Dylan Birtolo.
I recommend it, but I admit to being quite biased Posts: 1 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I was all set to come in here and say something like, "Look buddy, Mr. Card meets a lot of people at signings, so he probably doesn't remember you..." But then I saw Mrs. Card's response, and I quietly got off my high horse.
posted
Thanks for repeating and correcting the name and title ... just ordered it.
I do take each person in line seriously, if they wish to be taken so, and if there ever comes a time when signings are so crowded or rushed that I can't do that, I'll stop doing them entirely.
But I hope you're not disappointed to know that my aging memory is not capable of holding each person in mind for long after a signing. Of course I remembered Baxter because we joked about his name, and there are others that I would remember instantly. But I hope it isn't some kind of failure on the part of either of us if, among the hundreds of people, your particular encounter is not one that I can remember a week after.
In truth, we can't form a lasting relationship in a signing line. What does happen, though, is that I register your experiences or attitudes if you express them; and I hope that I respond in such a way as to let you know how much I appreciate the generous way so many have received my stories into their lives, including, particularly, you.
It's like the books I write. I have no way of knowing whether they'll be remembered a hundred years from now - or even a week after you read one of them. But is an event trivial merely because it does not linger at the forefront of memory? Is a book that is forgotten after reading it therefore a failure? I don't think so - not if it made its impression at the time.
Your parents, your family, your friends - THOSE are the people who have a chance to truly change your lives. Compared to them, a book of mine is at best a trigger or catalyst, helping you see things that you already saw but might not have recognized. Still, I'm glad to know when a book of mine has made a difference in your life. It takes some of the sting out of knowing that I've devoted my adult life to making stuff up and selling it as if it had value. It's like being a con man, but every now and then you find out that it wasn't a con after all, and that's cool.
posted
If I had been ego-driven enough to post the entire bit I had written, catalyst would have been a much better way to describe it.
And I make the point that if it wasn't Ender's Game, it probably would have been something else along the way, but it was EG, so I praise it accordingly.
Posts: 12 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I didn't say it was easy, just that it might be trivial. Like baseball. {deliberate provocative statement designed to change the subject}
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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Remember those ladies you wrote about in Alvin Journeyman, who saw Calvin (and his writer friend) disheveled and poorly covered in the bushes? And they wanted to report those hooligans but realized that to do so would mean speaking ugly things and so couldn't? I'm in that predicament right now in trying to respond to what you said.
posted
O.K. zeropoint...in that first post you REALLY seemed to like OSC's books, and I got lost in the part about the uhhh...child? Well, anyway u should sell that poem off ebay and make some cash. Thanks
Posts: 2 | Registered: Mar 2005
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