Part of My Adventure in Toronto

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This is my third attempt at my second post.

Within a few days of joining Sounis news of  Megan coming to Toronto was posted. I took it as a sign and decide to go meet her. I emailed her thinking I'd go get my mountain of books signed and go home. Then Megan's reply included the irresistible suggestion that I attend the conference also, which I did. The meet-up:

• Apparently important stuff first, the earrings were the half moons with mother of pearl. Accompanied by the matching necklace.
  
• Megan nearly became "an honorary Canadian", Mark, her husband was offered a job at the University of Waterloo in Ontario but it was conditional on being approved by Canadian Immigration who took so long they ended up in Maryland instead.
  
• Megan was glad that both she and Mark were invited to the conference. They could spend time together and he'd be the husband of the children's author, the trailing spouse. Due to busy schedules they were going to pass. The organizer asked Megan to reconsider because they really wanted Philip Pullmam to attend and he wanted to meet and talk with Megan's husband!
  
• I asked Megan why she decided to cut off her main character's hand. She explained that she was inspired by the writings of Rosemary Sutcliff particularly The Eagle of the Ninth. She admitted she finished the story of The Queen of Attolia and polished it before sending it to her editor so they had the whole idea before talking to her. Because she knew if someone suggested not amputating his hand in the process of writing she may have been talked out of it. As it was her editor tracked her down through her mother saying 'tell Megan we have to talk'.
  
• I told Megan that I particularly enjoyed The King of Attolia because I knew at "Don't usually attack cripples?" that Gen was much more comfortable with his handicap. She said he would be even more so in the next book, where after snapping at his attendants who are pressing him to grow his hair long, to fit in more, he explains to the Magus, that he prefers his hair long but until someone can explain how to fix it with one hand, to keep it out of his eyes, it stays short.
  
• Megan explained that she wrote The Thief has a way to teach kids about geopolitics. That wars start because each side has something at stake. The problems aren't as straightforward as kill the obvious bad guy or possess the magical chatchke and problem solved.
  
  
  Writing this much with my speech-recognition has taken much longer than I expected so I will post again about the conference later.
  
  
  JP (me) Megan and Lauren