Monday, January 17, 2011

The magic of shared worlds: Jim Butcher, MarsCon, and a room of readers

This weekend Adam and I took a jaunt to MarsCon, a science fiction convention in Williamsburg, Virginia, to see a favorite author. Jim Butcher answered questions and signed books for the horde of fans, including people who traveled hundreds of miles. His humor and the reading of upcoming Ghost Story were not enough to draw readers in those numbers or from those distances; they came, like me, to experience the camaraderie of a shared world. It made me think. Each time we read, write, paint, or perform, we are participants in world building and we connect with others in that world. For me, the magic of conventions and author events is gathering to share the story world in this world. For those not able to  make it, I offer a brief clip from the Q&A on Saturday (please forgive the shoddy camera work).


The clip ends just before Jim announces Ghost Story's release date was moved from April to July 2011. We all groaned, but we know we'll sustain the story world no matter how long the wait. 

PS If you haven't read through Changes, the video contains spoilers. 

2 comments:

  1. Fabulous. I love the idea of magic in shared worlds, connecting worlds, bridging worlds. I have never read Jim Butcher, but I'll be sure to check him out! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Léna,
    Thank you. I enjoy Jim's world building and humor. I've only read The Dresden Files series, and I have to say they get better as they go.

    On a side note, thank you for being an author and creating the Moonflower for us to inhabit and share.

    ReplyDelete