Loud in the Library!

Hey everyone
So even though lately I haven't had much time to read I have been going my local library's book club. It's called fast food and fiction and it's about once a month. We talk about young adult books that we like and help organize events in the library.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to help out at an event they hosted called Loud in the Library. They had a manga artist, an airbrush artist and author of the Tomorrow series John Marsden!!
I have never met an author before so I was incredibly excited! So let me tell you how my evening went.

As I mentioned before I volunteered to help out at the event to I arrived at 5:15. They gave me a Wyndham library lanyard and it made me look like a librarian! People actually thought I was one and asked me questions, my geeky side was bursting with happiness and so was the part of me that thinks being a librarian would be an awesome job. Anyway I set up chairs and tables and helped clean the library. I got to go behind the main desk and into the offices, I know its dorky but I was so excited just to be let back behind where only librarians go :D Everyone was so nice and made me feel so welcome, I only feel bad that I couldn't help out more! I swear the whole night I kept asking "can I help with anything?".

The manga and airbrush artist arrived first and set up and by that time their were heaps of people lining up outside. It was a teen only event to help promote reading to adolescence. Then they opened the library and people streamed in and sat down waiting for John Marsden.

At about 6:30 John Marsden arrived and he started to talk. He was really charming and made the whole audience laugh. At first he talked about how to write. He asked one audience member to dictate the actions of another and asked her what she felt the audience wanted from her, she replied "to make them laugh". He agreed and said that's a common misconception and went on to talk about how suspense and anticipation can be just as effective as humor. Then he discussed status and power and demonstrated funny sketches with the audience members showing the use of status. He pretended to be a principal which is actually his current occupation.

Then people asked questions and there were some really good ones. Such as 'how do you feel writing from a female perspective?' to which he answered that he feels as long as he can capture how his character speaks and interacts with each other, he can write characters regardless of race and gender.

When asked how he came up with the idea for the Tomorrow series he gave a fascinating story. I'm going to write it best as I can from memory. He said it was a number of things but most important was one day when he was at an ANZAC parade. For those of you don't know ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and ANZAC day is a sort of memorial day to remember those who lost their lives and all people in the defense forces past and present. Anyway he said "I saw that the ANZACS who were walking in the parade we all old with canes while the people cheering them for being heroes were all young. I thought that it was odd because back when the actual wars were occurring the young ones would have been marching while the elderly would have been the ones cheering. I looked at the young people and thought would you be able to do what they had to do to defend their country? Actually I bet you would, I bet you'd think of something" and that was the idea that started it. Of course I was just writing from memory and that's not exactly what he said. I thought that was a great story.

While he was speaking the airbrush artist was actually "painting" his face. It was really amazing.

That's John Marsden with the airbrush artist and the finished product, sorry for the bad pic!
Then they had book signings and the other events started.

I was put in charge of badge making and helping the other kids out. The manga artist was helping people draw and people were really enthusiastic about it! There was food and people from the youth center helping out.

I didn't get to see much because I was at a station but I had fun regardless. After everything finished I helped pack up and got to speak to John briefly and even got some free books! I was lucky enough to receive While I live: The Ellie Chronicles and Marsden on Marsden :The stories behind John Marsden Bestselling Books both by John Marsden. Unfortunately I didn't get an autograph but I got a picture!

Me and John Marsden!!

The night only went for two hours but I had so much fun, I was so grateful for the opportunity to help out and I appreciate the librarians making me feel so welcome and comfortable.I do apologize for the quality of the photos, they were taken on my iPod.

So that was my night!