EVENT RECAP: An Evening With Maggie Stiefvater

Anyone who knows me will know how much I adore The Raven Cycle series. Those books have consumed a part of my soul. I attempt and most of the time successfully convince people to read them. I basically live and breathe that series. So when I found out that Maggie Stiefvater was coming to Manchester for an event, I just had to go!
 

I live a fairly long train journey away from Manchester and I don’t get to visit the city very often, so I saw this as my chance to go early, make a day of it, and go exploring. But the rain had other plans. So I spent most of my day in Manchester Central Library, where the event was being held. However, that did mean that as soon as I was allowed into the performance area, I was able to grab a seat at the front! How did I spend that hour and a half wait, you ask? I caught Pokémon, obviously. 

A Poliwhirl lurks close to the stage

Just after 6:30 Maggie was finally introduced to the stage and the event got underway. Let me tell you, Maggie Stiefvater is hilarious. She spent some time talking about her career before she became a writer, and her stories about her portrait painting had everyone laughing. She also told us how her typical working day as a writer varies and we learned that writing on planes is not something she’s fond of! We were also treated to a delightful story about the time John Green invited her to go racing and he ended up on fire. Twice.

Later on people in the audience got the chance to ask Maggie some questions. One of the most stand out ones was when someone asked how she plans her novels. She told us that she thinks of them like a road trip; she knows where she’s starting from, where she’s going, and why she’s going there, but she does various fun things along the way in different places. 

Maggie telling us about the time her research trip to Scotland didn't exactly go to plan...

The last question of the night was about Maggie moving on from The Raven Cycle. She told us that she’d had a six-month book hangover after she finished writing it, during which she found herself wanting to go back to the magic system that she’d spent so long creating. To help herself get out of it she reminded herself that after writing four books in this series with readers wanting certain things to happen before the end, she was now free from expectation and could work on something totally new.

After the talk, we were then allowed to get our books signed so I joined the exceptionally long queue! It was a sold out event and definitely the biggest turn out for a signing that I’ve been to in a long time, and the organisers did a great job of helping everyone. We were also offered a choice of super cute badges to take home! 

I was able to meet Maggie and have my copies of The Raven King and The Dream Thieves signed, my two favourite books in the series. I also told her just how much her books had ruined me in the best possible way. I'm generally rather nervous and mostly awkward at book signings, but Maggie was super lovely! 

 

It was such a fantastic event with a great atmosphere, and if you ever have the chance to see Maggie in person – do it. She is one of the funniest and most engaging authors I’ve had the chance to see! Thank you to Waterstones Deansgate and Scholastic for such a fab night.