Cinder Author Marissa Meyer Shares Her Book Love Story

Last month I had the extreme pleasure of stumbling upon a book that took me on a journey to a new land with cyborgs, androids, royalty, the threat of an alien take over and the terror of a plague. It was a Cinderella story in a whole new wardrobe and it was called Cinder. When I finished the book and logged it into my Goodreads Reading Challenge I  serendipitously found the author, Marissa Meyer there and wrote her a message thanking her for her wonderful novel. Due to my insatiable curiosity about such things, I also took that opportunity to ask Ms. Meyer about her first book love. What follows is her gracious response to my query.

It's nearly impossible for me to pinpoint my first true book love, as my childhood memories blur together with too many book loves to count. Was it Black Beauty, which my mother read to my brother and I as we curled beside her on the bed? Or The Giver, which changed the way I looked at the world, and taught me how magnificent it is that books have that power? Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I read over and over again while dreaming of the brilliance of a candied wonderland? Or was it Charlotte's Web? The Little House on the Prairie? My little book of fairy tales?

It's truly impossible to determine which came first, but after much deliberation, I will make an attempt to choose the Book Love that, more than any other, changed the course of my life. Because they made me want to become a writer.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein.

The complete set was a birthday present from my Uncle, who knew my love of books and no doubt saw a dreamer-fantasy girl in the making. I couldn't have been older than 9 or 10, and it would take me a few months to pick up the books (intimidating in their bigness) and dive into them. My birthday is in February and I saved them until summer vacation.

I remember going on a camping trip in my grandparent's RV that summer, along with my brother and cousin. We were at a beautiful northwest campsite with grand fir trees and a clear blue lake and potential adventures down every trail... but all I wanted to do was curl up inside the RV and read. I wanted to be in Middle Earth, questing beside hobbits and elves and wizards. The magic of the One Ring entranced me almost as much as it did Bilbo and Frodo. I couldn't put them down.

After that, I would spend years dreaming up magical quests and fantasy worlds, imagining myself a princess or a sorcerer or a thief, filling my head with prophecies of greatness and dangerous missions.

Eventually, when I was a teenager, I would start to write those dreams down. And though my first attempted novels were little more than LotR spin-offs (really, we all have to start somewhere), eventually my imagination would begin reaching into other times and places. This overactive imagination finally resulted in my first novel, CINDER, which is futuristic science fiction, of all things.

But no matter where my muse takes me, the love I have for high fantasy has never waned, and my appreciation for Tolkein's masterpiece lingers to this day. I did re-read the books in college and loved them just as much, and of course attended the midnight releases of all three movies... in costume. You can bet I'll be doing the same when The Hobbit comes out this December.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings made me a life-long fan of magic and fantasy, a life-long dreamer, and a life-long book lover. They can also be credited, at least partly, with making me a life-long writer, and for that I will bestow upon them the title of my first true Book Love.

Tolkien strikes again! I wonder if he realized what an enormous legacy he left us all with his creation of Middle Earth. I would like to thank Marissa Meyer again for her wonderful answer to my question and I would like to invite you all to jump on the Lunar Chronicles bandwagon with me - if you haven't read Cinder: Book One in The Lunar Chronicles yet, then snap it up so we can anxiously await the arrival of book two!

Also, if you would like to share you're own story of book love, I think I speak for everyone who reads Rivera Runs Through It when I say, we'd love to read it, so e-mail me at BlogWithNV@gmail.com so we can make it happen!

Book Love Heads Back to Middle Earth

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When One Book Just Isn't Enough
 
In last week's book love post we were introduced to Eric Storch, who first read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien in the second grade and with it found his first ever book love. Chris, from The Carpe Diem blog had a similar experience, he says, "Like Eric, I was introduced to The Hobbit at a relatively young age, I think it was the fourth grade," (after both of these stories, I'm thinking my parents somehow failed me - I didn't read The Hobbit until I was in my twenties!), however, Chris was not completely enamored with this one book, "While I definitely enjoyed it, I can't say it was my first book love. It was a good story, but it left me wanting more." Well, young Chris was a smart cookie who set off to the school library on his quest for more, "In the fifth grade I turned to the Lord of the Rings and was immediately entranced."

What Is It About Middle Earth? 
 
If you have not yet taken the literary journey to Middle Earth like Chris has, Eric has or I have, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Perhaps you are thinking, "I saw the movies. They were cool, there was action, drama and the book fans love it - there's no need for me to read the book. I have experienced this." I will ask you to reconsider. I will ask you to just think about some of these thoughts Chris shared about Middle Earth, The Lord of the Rings and the reading experience as a whole:

When I asked Chris what first drew him into his first book love, in general, as a book, he said

It was definitely the sense of being transported to a whole new world, and a complete world at that. No matter how deeply you wanted to delve into the lore and history that Tolkien  created, it was all so consistent and complete. I absolutely loved it, I was so into it. I think at that age I knew the history of Middle Earth better than the history of the real world.

When I asked Chris about his first impressions of Middle Earth, he said

I loved the completeness of it all. I loved the geography. I used to imagine what the landscapes in the maps [from Middle Earth atlases] would look like - the wilderness of Eriador, the soaring peaks of the Misty Mountains, the barren, poisonous environment of Mordor, the majestic and mighty River Anduin.

When I asked Chris if it was difficult to fall in book love again after reading The Lord of the Rings, he said

Definitely. I still read widely, but nothing was able to capture the scope and grandeur of Tolkien.

And when I asked Chris if he recommended The Lord of the Rings to others to read, he honestly replied

Again, definitely, but I think you really have to be interested in books with depth. It's not a casual read!

So there you have it. The secret to the joy of Tolkien's tale - it is not a casual read, but it is complete, grandiose and captivating. If you think you're up to it, pick up the book, you may not be able to put it down, for awhile (Chris begrudgingly confessed to reading LotR 32 times!).

Does Tolkien Approve of Peter Jackson?


For those who read the book and experienced Middle Earth as Tolkien intended it before Peter Jackson transformed New Zealand into Middle Earth and put that tale on the screen, the idea of capturing this  epic fantasy on film seemed a ridiculous pipe dream. Yet Chris, like many fans, gives Peter Jackson due credit for taking on the behemoth,"The standard was impossibly high. Getting it wrong would have destroyed a filmmaker's career. Yet Jackson managed it superbly. For the most part he was entirely faithful to the story. New Zealand was a perfect setting - the geography worked as Middle Earth... The casting was also really well done." But Chris has one sticking point, "The only part that irked me, somewhat, was Faramir's attempt to take Frodo and Sam back to Gondor... that wasn't in the book. But overall... Peter Jackson deserves every accolade he received."

In line with this reflection on the film, Chris raises an interesting question when I asked him what one thing he would ask Tolkien if he could, "I'd have to say - what does he think of Peter Jackson's representation of Middle Earth? ...I'd be fascinated to know if Peter Jackson's interpretation of Middle Earth was consistent with how Tolkien saw his world in his own mind." I was surprised I hadn't thought of this myself. This is usually the number one question I want to ask authors once their story has hit the screen.

Tolkien's (and Chris's) Greatest Lesson


While we may be unable to get Tolkien's answer to Chris's great question, that does not mean he is done sharing with us. Chris points out a fantastic life lesson to be garnered from Lord of the Rings that has little to do with fantasy, other worlds or fiction. It is, in fact, about how we should approach our life, "I think it really showed me that if you are passionate about something, there is no limit to what you can create. Tolkien clearly loved what he did, I think his life work is a great example to people that you can only be limited by your own imagination. Tolkien created whole languages just for the pure joy of it. If that's not loving life I don't know what is. So I'd say the primary lesson is: follow your passions and don't accept boundaries on what you can do and achieve."

(Just wondering... did I mention that the name of Chris's blog is The Carpe Diem?) 

Finding Love After Middle Earth

Although Chris said it was difficult to find book love after reading Lord of the Rings, it wasn't impossible. He found other authors that captured his interests such as

• Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince series and Exile series
• The space opera of Alastair Reynolds
• Stephen King for his mastery of characterizations 

How To Connect With Chris (aka Buzz)

Here are some great ways to connect with Chris to see what he's up to right now:

• My blog is called the Carpe Diem ... site is www.thecarpediem.net  Having been through a marriage separation recently I'm in the process of some significant personal development and growth.  The blog is my chronicle of my journey and also a resource for people wanting to seize the day and learning to live in the present.  The site motto is "Because Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal".  I'm having a lot of fun with it but don't have many subscribers yet! 
• Twitter: @the_carpediem
•  FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Carpe-Diem/124943070952161 
• Reddit:  I edit a subreddit - unsurprisingly called Carpediem !

Click here if you are interested in participating in the First Book Loves Project.

The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Part Three) by J.R.R. Tolkien

The following post is taken directly from my hand-printed Reader's Journal. I will be sharing these reflections each week on the Rivera Runs Through It blog. The date at the end of each post is the date of the original writing, which is typically the date I completed the book. The reflections are short, but represent my initial reactions to a book, a brief summary of the book or the questions it raised for me at the time. I hope you enjoy this segment in my blog and feel free to comment on what you read here.

The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Part Three) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Well, this tale has finally come to an end. I have been on this journey for about two years since I first read the Hobbit and it has been a wonderful ride. I understand why these books have been held in such high regard for so long - I will miss Middle Eath and all of its occupants. While I cannot believe the story is over, Tolkien has not left me wanting any more. He has finally given me the closure I had hoped for in the first two installments. I believe, in time, I will read these books again.

Dated: 05/18/02

How were you introduced to Middle Earth? Was it with the movies first, or the books? If the books, where did you begin - LOTR, The Hobbit, or another of Tolkien's tales?