I really really really wanted to go, and I had to work (drat the rent) so I missed out on Meeting Fforde. Can anyone tell me what happened, what was talked about and what he was like?????

I neeeeeeeed A fforde fix!!!

If you mean the talk at North Sydney Library on Monday, I was there. I missed the first five minutes because it had been advertised as being in the Library but actually was in a hall round the corner and through a building site and badly signposted to boot. The hall was well populated but not full. About 100 at a guess?

Jasper fforde talked about the process of writing, and read a bit from Something Rotten. He wore a nice dark red shirt and jeans and looks much better in the flesh than the picture on the web site advertising the event. He came over as erudite, charming and witty. (I'm not being paid to write this, honestly).

There were some questions including a man who wanted to know what Battenburg was. And then there was a book signing. Little squares of rather plasticky cheese and paper cups of very indifferent white white wine were handed round. The woman passing the cheese round didn't get my joke about the cheese marketing board.

Hope that helps

Marianbuttercup wrote:

> I really really really wanted to go, and I had to work (drat
> the rent) so I missed out on Meeting Fforde. Can anyone tell me
> what happened, what was talked about and what he was like?????
>
> I neeeeeeeed A fforde fix!!!

Pity you couldn't come. I was there, and i asked him about the shakespeare/time travelling paradox thing.

Anyhoo, He talked for an hour about Something Rotten and the series in general. I was surprised at the turn out - being entriely old people (some who haven't read his books) , apart from me. It was a very low key event. But Jasper was witty and nice. Anyhow, I got my book signed and he gave me 2 "seven wonders of swindon" postcards. YOOHOO.

wahhhh. I so wished I could have made it.... nice one on the cheese marketing board joke, I would have laughed. Suprised there was no toast!!
That would have been just poetic and wonderful.I have been looking at the various sites and etc of Fforde, did he talk about the return of Thursday or did he indicate that this is his last Thursday book??? I listened to a audio of a interview he gave and he has a lovely voice and seems really into his books. Which would make sense.

So how many people do you know within Sydney who have actually read the TN series??? I only know of two others, but it seems he is much much larger OS. I could talk for hours about his books and etc.


thanks for letting me know how it went!

I was interested to read about the Sydney signing - sounds quite different to the one in Brisbane, except for Jasper being erudite and witty! I also don't know many people who have read his books so was surprised to find the event packed! A wide range of ages, although lots of young people, and mostly women! I meant to ask Jasper if this was normal but forgot.

We also had nice wine and nibblies :)

I thought it was interesting hearing about how he wrote the books and people asked very interesting questions. And he was very friendly when signing my book!

Emma C are you on the net now
???

I'm not sure what you mean, Buttecup - I'm using a computer with net access all day if that's what you mean?

Entirely old people! I protest - You may have been the youngest there but the rest of us weren't all exactly in our dotage.

Buttercup - I only know three others in Sydney - one I'm married to and the other two are friends who I introduced to the books.

Also, to answer your other question, he said quite firmly that there would be more Thursday.

I am at work and need some TN chating!!! makes the day a lot quicker!

Thank goodness, as reading some of the stuff on this site there seems to be a sense of this is the end of TN as the book was very final, in the way that everything was pretty much finished.

I hope in the next one there is a mention of Big Tom, as I found that section rather amusing, with the cats in the pub watching her over beers and etc!!!

a. Isn't it Big Martin or is that someone/something entirely different?

b. It did seem very much like the end but there will be more TN books - not definately after the END of TN-4 but certainly more. One of them is Nursery Crimes and the other is possibly called The Great Samuel Pepy's Fiasco.

c. I really wanted to go to a signing but the closest Jasper was to me was Melbourne (I live in Adelaide) and it would have been almost impossible to get over there.

Louise



=)

Yes.... Uh, no.... Actually......I don't know.... Um, hang on.... What was the question again?