Suvudu Universe

Brandon Sanderson & Harriet McDougal
in Huntington Beach, CA USA

Feb 7, 2013

You know you're a nerd when...

You grudgingly forego a new episode of King of the Nerds to attend a book signing - despite the intrigue of last week's blue team vs orange team upset.

Okay, yes. That is what the DVR is for, but I'm not the most patient person in the world when I get excited about something.

So here it is, folks. The end of an era. The final book in Robert Jordan's epic Fantasy series The Wheel of Time is now available, and Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal have hit the book signing trail.

I started reading this series at its inception 23 years ago, and found myself getting emotional when Harriet read the iconic first paragraph that graces the opening of each of the 13 books in the series. Then Brandon shared his story of the fated phone call from Harriet which propelled him from a fellow fan of the series to its co-author.

I'm embarrassed to say I got a bit tongue-tied when it was my turn to step up to the table to meet them. Fortunately, I ran into my work pal, Felipe Torres, at the event. He got Brandon talking shop on the gaming front while I told Harriet how pivotal her husband was to me, both as a reader and a writer.

The highlight was getting a congratulatory fist-bump from the man himself [Brandon] when I told him the news of me signing my first book contract last week. Now I'm off to read his blog, which is loaded with amazing, helpful information for writers such as myself.

Thank you, Robert Jordan, from the bottom of my heart - for setting the example for sophisticated storytelling, for showing us how to build complex magical worlds and lush characters, and for the many years of enrichment and shear enjoyment. You will remain an integral part of so many of us for years to come.