~post by Emily and Collette of the Teen Press Corps
Maggie Stiefvater opened the 2013 Austin Teen Book Festival (#ATBF13) by threatening the audience with her ability to make them weep and rock back and forth, which is something I always appreciate in an author. She spoke about the books and stories of her childhood, and how she had always wanted to be a writer. And, interestingly enough, when Maggie asked the audience who wanted to be a writer, not all of the attending authors raised their hands. Guess even the most successful of us didn’t always have a clear picture of where they’d end up.
Discussing more on her process, Maggie says that a lot of writers play the “what if” game. They ask what if everyone had magical powers; or what if dangerous horses rose from the ocean every year and people raced them; or what if a fog rolled in and everyone but the narrator turned into plants?
Her new book, The Dream Thieves, is about a girl who can make things in her dreams real and is so
afraid of her powers that she decides not to use them at all.
Maggie ended her speech by saying that, “everyone has the choice of whether they want to manifest their dreams or their nightmares.”
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Just getting started y’all! Check back for more #ATBF13 coverage as the day continues. We have some awesome panels coming up followed by a lunch conversation with Rob Thomas, Sarah Dessen, and more!