HOLY TOLEDO! I MET BRIAN JACQUES TODAY!!!  THE AUTHOR OF THE REDWALL BOOKS! I MEAN IT!  

I found out that Brain Jacques was coming to my town today about a month ago. I nearly flipped out and Mom thought that I was having some sort of seizure! I’ve been planning to go all this time and I've been jumping off the walls about it! I was getting really excited and hyper!

Anyways, today I woke up at 7:00 in the morning so I could get to the book store that Brain was going to be, at 2:00pm so I could get a signing ticket. The signing ticket allowed you to have Brian sign a book for you! There was a letter group at the bottom of each ticket and 30 people were in each of the groups. I was there early and I got to be in the "A Group"! I would among the first 30 to get my "Redwall" book signed by Mr. Jacques. I was really excited and bouncing off the walls inside of myself. But, since no one was gathering around the table where Brian would be giving his speech and signing, Mom and I cruised around, bought something and left.

I came back at 1:00 with my dad and since there was hardly anybody there, I got a good seat on the floor up front. I took out my book, "Redwall", and tried to read it, but I was so giddy and jumpy I kept looking up to see if any of my friends would show up. I had sent Brian Jacques’s tour listings to two of my friends that I knew who were about as crazy as me over the author of the Redwall books and The Castaways of The Flying Dutchman trilogy.

It was about 1:20 and the place was really starting to fill up, I looked over my shoulder when someone called my name. It took a few seconds to register that it was my name and I whirled back around expecting to see that it was some else that had been called, but to my surprise, it was a friend of mine. I waved and she sat next to me.

Time dragged on and both of us were glancing at a clock or watch very five or ten minutes. It seems that time never seems to go as fast as you want it to. Soon the place was getting crowed and we all were allowed to get closer to the still empty table. My friend and I ended up in the 2nd row from the table and we were still anxiously glancing at the time. It just seemed to go at a snails pace! Finally it was 2:00 and the place was jammed packed!

Brian's manager (or at least I think it was his manager) gave a shot story on how Brian's books got him started on reading and a small introduction as Brain showed himself. Then Mr. Jacques took the floor under loud applause and shouting. Faith and I got all excited when we saw him.

From the beginning, he was a hoot! Amid the clapping and screaming Mr. Jacques took the ends of his shirt and did some mock curtsying. He also made this hilarious pose by lifting a leg behind him and placing a "Y" shaped hand to his chin. When the applause calmed, he began speaking.

He started by rousing us up by asking questions on where he lived. It was an audience participation type of talk. Mr. Jacques told us in a very rich English accent, about his new book, his life, how he grew up, and how he started writing Redwall. OHMYGOSH! HE WAS SO ANIMATED! He made us laugh our heads off at times.

In one of those question/ answers times, Brian was telling us how to become a good writer. He asked us, "What does a writer need? Besides a pen?"

There were murmurs all over the room and I was thinking paper when I heard the answer from someone's mouth. I then remembered reading something on the Redwall web site about it and knew the answer. A guy up front said it and I nearly shouted when I said it right after him. "An Imagination!" Brian Jacques pointed to the guy up front saying he was the man. Than to my surprise, he turned, stared, and pointed directly at ME! "You said it, too! Didn't you?"

It took me a few seconds to believe that he was TALKING TO ME! I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't say a word. I was stunned to silence! I could feel my face starting to tingle all over the place and I was certain that I had turned a shade of pink. This all took place in a matter of seconds. It was Brian that brought me back to reality. "You said it, didn't you?" All I could do was nod my head.

"What is it?" he asked me.

"An Imagination!" I said.

"That's right!" he exclaimed.

Then he did the last thing I expected. "What's your name?"

I shouted my name and he said, "Really? That was my name when I was a little girl!" Everyone cracked up!

As he went on telling us why the imagination was so important, all I could do was lean back on my hands and stare into space thinking. "He talked to me. He actually TALKED to me!" I finally glanced back at him and listened to the rest of the talk.

After he finished, everyone lined up by letter group to get their books signed. When I reached him and he was signing my book, I asked him if I could get my picture taken with him. He said of course! Dad snapped a few pix of me and Brian Jacques. Brian commented that I had a professional photographer taking pictures for me. All I did was smile at my favorite author, Mr. Brian Jacques, creator of Redwall and The Castaways of The Fling Dutchman trilogy.

(Here's my proof that I met the best author in the world!)

 A very happy Redwall fan,

~redwallwindow~