So, I dragged everyone back from Maryland Sheep and Wool in time for the talk at Politics and Prose with Elizabeth Wein which felt a bit like trading one hat for another, even if one fellow yarnie went with me to both things and then of course, Elizabeth Wein showed off Maddie's mittens, and I remembered, that there was more of a link than I had remembered. This is not to imply that Code Name Verity is a knitting book, because it's not. But Maddie does have flip top mittens.
1. A large portion of the audience had read the book already, which allowed for a little more loose talk about things. Elizabeth also showed off the paperback cover which to me looks very pastoral with the bikes and the field, although the tiny little planes are a bit ominous. Apparently some people said the hardback cover looked a little Fifty Shades of Gray to them.
2. In addition to the mittens, she had several pilot's guides that she passed around. And pens. One a vintage not quite from WWII, but close. Although it doesn't work.
3. Elizabeth wrote the first portion of the story in fountain pen and the second in ball point. I think we call that method writing.
4. Elizabeth, to me sounds like a panster, but it is probably more fair to describe her as a loose plotter. She said originally the plan was to write about a pilot turned spy and so she went off and did all the research about WWII pilots and WWII spies. And then she said as she began writing she realized making it about a pilot who was friends with a spy would work even better and so she did that.
5. One audience member wore aviator gear. This person also apparently has been quite the book evangelist giving away copies numbered in the teens of this book to people.
6. One audience member said she didn't read YA and did Elizabeth really mean to write this as a YA book? There was some discussion about this, but in the end Elizabeth said all her books have been YA, so to her this seemed just like the others, although certainly that doesn't mean only YA's could enjoy it.
7. The next will also have an ATA pilot which means I am so there already. WWII female pilots are my jam.
Rants About New (and old) Things
