Fictional Friends

[alanajoli]

First off, there are just a ton of great author interviews out there this week. Tiffany Trent is all over the blogosphere this week (she'll be here on Friday), and has the listing of her events here, along with information about a contest that none of you are allowed to enter, as I want the prize. So there. (Just kidding. Definitely go visit her blog and read the interviews.)

Ilona Andrews (ilona_andrews) has an interview up on Nalini Singh's blogspot page. There, you will learn the secret of her duplicitous identity! (It is also readily available on her website, but I hadn't visited before today, so I didn't know!)

But now, for something completely different. Browncoat Jessica posted a fun meme over on her blog that I am going to completely change to suit my own purposes. (You are, of course, quite welcome to take my version and spread it around, or go use her original.)

If I were to invite ten fictional characters over to dinner, they would be*:

1) The unnamed bard from Jane Yolen's "Liavek" short stories, because rarely have I had the pleasure of hearing tales from such an endearing voice.
2) Schmendrick the Magician from The Last Unicorn, because I suspect he is as good a listener as he is a contributor, and I also would wager that he likes his food. (But he probably does not like *good* food as much as Vlad Taltos from Steven Brust's series, whom I would be afraid of offending by not offering appropriate courses.)
3) Ilona from the "Hallowmere" books (thus far by Tiffany Trent, though she'll be written by another writer shortly as well), because though I suspect she'd be a shy guest, anything she had to add to the conversation would be worth hearing.
4) Lissy James from Golden by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, because I wouldn't want Ilona to be the only teen at the table, and I imagine that Lissy's power could do wonders for making sure all the guests got along.
5) Warbeak from Redwall by Brian Jacques, although I'd get her her own bird feeder or berries a little to one side, as the Sparra are not known for eating politely.
6 & 7) Shevraeth and Meliara from Crown Duel (and other titles) by Sherwood Smith. Though I doubt my ability to serve up a meal fit for royals, I'm so very fond of both of them that I hope they'd excuse my rather humble provisions.
8) Princess Cimmorene from Dealing with Dragons (and others) by Patricia C. Wrede, because as long as I'm inviting my favorite royalty, why stop?
9) Alanna of Tortall (from a variety of Tamora Pierce's novels), because she has always been first among lady knights in my mind, and because Ilona from "Hallowmere" would, I suspect, enjoy her company.
10) Shepherd Book from Firefly, because someone really ought to say the grace.

I would consider inviting Bilbo Baggins, but everyone knows how hard it is to keep hobbits well fed....

Others who didn't get invited to dinner this time around but are worth mentioning:

I would love to see Eowyn (Lord of the Rings), Cat Crawfield (Halfway to the Grave), and Kate Daniels (Magic Bites) spar.

--

*Disclaimer: If I were given this exercise tomorrow, it might change as I thought of other characters I'd love to have over to dinner. In fact, at 3 a.m., I'll probably wake up, feeling bad that I didn't "invite" someone. But in this moment, that list is absolutely accurate. ;)

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I'd love to be sitting under the table listening to the conversation!

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Aw, pull up a chair! The more the merrier. ;)

[tltrent.livejournal.com]

Ooh! How fun!

And you know what would be totally awesome is if we could somehow arrange that. Hmmmm...*taps fingers* I wonder...

I'm glad you like Ilona--she grew on me pretty quickly. :)

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Now that would be one heck of a writing exercise! ;)

[firebirdgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I like your version and it sounds like such fun (and now I have new things to read too:))

(For a dinner party with nonfictional people I always wanted to have Tori Amos, Bjork and Robyn Hitchcock because I figured it would be glorious, incomprehensible fun:))

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Thanks for giving me the initial idea! (Being married makes me rather prudish about fictional bedroom guests. Actually, I may have been prudish about that before. But dinner guests? I can have them any old time. I'm seriously considering doing a "girl's night out" one next week...)

That dinner party would be incomprehensible fun, particularly if you added Neil Gaiman to the mix! ;)

[caitrin.livejournal.com]

Fun. I just posted my list.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

I see a number of troublemakers on your list... ;) I'm wondering who would win when the brawl starts out: Mal, Spike, Rufio, or Peter Pan. (I suspect Atreyu would step to the side and let them have at, as he seemed to only fight when there was a cause.)

Tangent: I have a book for you that I picked up ages ago. If I'd been thinking, I would have brought it to campus last weekend, but since I failed to see you while I was up, I guess it's not relevant. Also, may I ask after your T-word, or are you one of those in crisis right now?

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Nope, haven't yet read the nightworld series. Shall have to add it though. ;)

I don't think I have enough time in a day to read all the replies to Kitty's post! I added a couple, tho. I actually didn't even know about it until you pointed it out, so thanks. That's not a community I belong to, though perhaps I should. Undecided.

Halfway done isn't bad! Definitely hope for the elves; they have a very nice way with words and will work very ambitiously if you leave out brownies. (Huh, it occurs to me that this could be where brownies the food got their name. But digress.)

Things have been good! I finally had a little bit of time between deadlines (though there's always more work to do), so I'm feeling generally relaxed and happy. April will likely be more of the same. Which means I should actually get to start writing that YA novel I've been talking about for ages...

[pmoc.livejournal.com]

That's fun, I've never done a meme before, I think this will be my first. Shepherd Book is dead though. If you invited him from the time when he was alive, would you tell him of his impending demise? Or would you be silent for fear of messing up his continuity? I know I'd probably be silent and not talk about it, but I might put it in an envelope and slip it into his labcoat.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

The envelope in the labcoat technique is *classic.* I approve.

I might be all mysterious and ask if he *wanted* to know his fate, then leave it up to him. But let me tell you, if it was Wash, I'd totally tell him whether he wanted to hear it or not!