Well its tax season and I go to UVSC so like last year I went to the accounting department. Well a certain Mrs. Card helped me file my W2's and I asked her "Are you related to the author?" Turns out she married your youngest brother. Just on a note of curiosity do you have her do your taxes too? In anycase I enjoyed meeting a member of the Card clan even if I have never found occasion to meet you.
Posted by I Am The War Chief (Member # 9266) on :
is thier reason to panic here? Mr Card do u have problems with people stalking ure family? lol just jokes im sure your not a stalker (rolls eyes)
Posted by cheiros do ender (Member # 8849) on :
How did you know to ask this particular woman if she was related to a famous author who happened to have the same last name?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
People ask other people with famous last names that kind of stuff all the time I'd imagine. I mean, if I ever met a Roosevelt, I'd ask if they were related to TR or FDR. If there weren't so many, I'd probably do the same thing with all the Adams' I met. Makes all the more sense if you live anywhere near the state that particular famous person happens to live in.
Posted by Jimbo the Clown (Member # 9251) on :
Adams? Thinking of Douglas, Cecil, the presidents, or someone else?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
My father taught a great*n-granddaughter of John Adams.
Whenever I meet someone with a last name I recognize, I ask.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I saw her input her surname in the computer as Card. I live in Utah where alot of Mr. Card's family lives so it seemed like a safe bet. If I meet anybody with an interesting last name I always ask, theres no harm in it and occasionally you hit gold. I once met a man with the same last name as me and although (Bradford in my case) is not a very common name its not too rare. Turns out we had the same ancestor. But then again thats a special case because I am directly related to William Bradford of Pilgrim fame so when meeting another Bradford you can usually gauge relation based on William Bradford.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I've never met a stranger with my last name.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
My last name isn't Smith, it's Card - relatively rare. And chances are pretty good that if you meet a Card, they're related either to me or to the White House chief of staff or to the Christian pop singer. (As far as I know, I'm not related to either of them.)
And if you're in Utah and meet a Card, they're almost definitely a relative of mine.
What thrills ME, though, is that they're willing to admit it!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Eh, the first Card I "met" had no compunction admitting being related to you. Posted by RunningBear (Member # 8477) on :
My last name happens to be Brown, so when I meet someone with that last name, I do not get too excited...
There are a lot of Browns...
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Jimbo - I was referring to John Adams, yeah.
A couple weeks ago, someone instant messaged me out of the blue saying he had the exact name as me. He googled his own name and found something I'd posted on lit.org a million years ago when I thought writing poetry was fun (ah, to be 13 again), and apparently he'd been trying to contact me for months, but I've my AIM security block everyone who wasn't on my buddy list until just recently when I turned it off.
Thankfully we didn't have the same middle name, that would have just been creepy. It'd be cool to be related to someone famous. Other than a French privateer who also served directly under Napoleon, and being a direct (I think it's direct anyway) descendent of a US Vice President, I've got nothing.
Edit: on second thought, there's no way he could be a direct ancestor, it's too recent, must have been an uncle or cousin or something.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
My best friend is a second or third cousin of OSCs. It happens. Posted by Oobie Binoobie (Member # 8059) on :
One of my uncles was willing to admit that he was a mission companion of OSC's in Brasil. How small a world is that?
Posted by Randy v2.0 (Member # 9294) on :
Lyrhawn, I have the exact same name as my uncle. You see, I'm naked after him, and he after his father. My middle name is for my grandfather, so quite accidentally we share first, middle AND last names.
What's even more confusing is there are two other people in my family who share our first name, at family reunions I'm still known as "little Randy", even though I recently turned 23 ;>
Posted by Randy v2.0 (Member # 9294) on :
Named! Oh god, I meant named. M, K, right next to each other, haha.
Posted by Grisha (Member # 6871) on :
My last name is Miller, and I almost never think to ask people with my last name if they might be related to me, but other people ask me sometimes if I happen to be related to people they know with my last name. Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Everyone with my last name is a relative of mine. It's very rare. Which is probably why no-one can pronounce it.
I'm pretty sure than no-one else in the entire world has the same first name-surname combo as me.
Posted by Irregardless (Member # 8529) on :
My wife's maiden name is Orbison, and sure enough she's related to Roy, as apparently everyone with that name is (corrupted spelling from when they were Irish immigrants, or something).
Posted by Peek (Member # 7688) on :
not alot of folks have the last name -a-boo. it's sad.
Dude peekaboo
Yeah.
Posted by opiejudy (Member # 9301) on :
quote:Originally posted by Peek: not alot of folks have the last name -a-boo. it's sad.
Dude peekaboo
Yeah.
roflmao
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
My first married name was Downs. As I live in the PacNW, someone once asked me if I was related to Diane Downs (the woman who killed her children in Oregon...Anne Rule did a book on her). Sorta like being asked if you're related to Manson. What possible positive response could be made if I'd said yes? I still wonder that sometimes.
(I'm not related to her, btw. Not by marriage or otherwise.)
Posted by PUNJABEE (Member # 7359) on :
Speaking of meeting members of the Card family...
Mr Card, will you ever do a book signing in Ausitn Tx? I'd love to get my copies of Homecoming: Harmony and Homecoming: Earth signed.
/end pitiful beggar mode
Posted by I Am The War Chief (Member # 9266) on :
More importantly will u ever come to Canada? I personally would fly in to any City of ure choice, preferably Toronto Ontario, (because then i could drive)
waynes world tribute
WERE NOT WORTHY, WERE NOT WORTHY, but please come nyways!
Posted by trance (Member # 6623) on :
Why Card would wanna come to Canada is beyond me. Waste of money and the population of Canada is small so the benefits of such an action would be rather limited. Sure there are fans here but as I see it, authors arn't rock stars and for them to tour out of their country is costly so if an author is to so, I'm sure it would be to an exotic destination (which Canada ain't) and make it a sight-seeing trip.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Randy v2.0, thank you for leaving your typo in place instead of editing it. It shows a generosity of spirit that is quite profound.
As for traveling, think very carefully please: Which would you rather have, a personal appearance by me for two hours in a bookstore near you, or another novel of mine? Because the traveling absolutely kills my writing.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I suggest a compromise. Rather than choose a book OR a tour, how about a book AND a shorter tour. Just the cities that have one of your relatives in them (you do still have an offspring out here, right?). That should make it much more manageable.
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Margaret Atwood rules Posted by PUNJABEE (Member # 7359) on :
quote:Originally posted by Orson Scott Card: Randy v2.0, thank you for leaving your typo in place instead of editing it. It shows a generosity of spirit that is quite profound.
As for traveling, think very carefully please: Which would you rather have, a personal appearance by me for two hours in a bookstore near you, or another novel of mine? Because the traveling absolutely kills my writing.
Well, since you put it that way - I'll sit down and shut up.
Can I mail you my books? Posted by scholar (Member # 9232) on :
I would be way more likely to read a new book than go to a bookstore near me to see him. But I don't like autographed books (contaminates the book- books should never ever be written on). And if I had a question for OSC that was driving me crazy, I would just keep posting it until he answered online. Wheras getting a new book from him, well no one else is going to finish up rachel and leah or alvin or...So, no book tours. Write faster! (jk)
Posted by Oliver Dale (Member # 8398) on :
quote:Originally posted by Orson Scott Card: Randy v2.0, thank you for leaving your typo in place instead of editing it. It shows a generosity of spirit that is quite profound.
As for traveling, think very carefully please: Which would you rather have, a personal appearance by me for two hours in a bookstore near you, or another novel of mine? Because the traveling absolutely kills my writing.
Strange. I remember a particular war story told at Bootcamp 04 about a certain novel (*cough:MagicStreet:cough*) whose writing was due, largely, to all the commuting you did to Virginia. Is Kristine making you drive these days?
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