I am full of Excitement! :D

Besides being full of the stuff that comes out at the other end of my mouth, as some people might say (jokingly, of course) I am also filled to bursting with excitement and squeal-ation because I am going to meet my favourite author of ALL time: John Flanagan, on the 23rd of October!!!
He’s going to be at the State Library (which is a ten minute tram ride from uni) and I will FINALLY meet him! I will have him sign my books! I will shake his hand! I will practically cry with happiness because it will be worth the angst I went through 😀

Yes, surprisingly, I did have a lot of angst. I had to apply for a day off work and I didn’t think my boss would let me– I’m a tutor and I can’t ‘swap shifts’ with someone else so easily because we all teach different subjects. I contemplated faking some dodgy doctor’s appointment or a relative’s death (don’t tempt fate!) but I just didn’t have the heart to do it. My boss is fantastic and if I lied to her, I would have ended up giving birth to a stone of guilt.

I stared at my application for a day off form for ages, wondering how I could possibly provide a ‘reason’ in two lines. Meeting John Flanagan meant much more than two mere lines! So I started typing on Microsoft Word, thinking maybe there might be something good I could say. It kind of started off as a joke but I ended up writing an entire page and the more time I spent on it, the more I realised I meant what I said. Then, because I couldn’t give my boss two lines, I printed off my letter and handed that in.

This is what I gave my boss:

As I am sure the many students I tutor, the other tutors and the receptionists can assure you without hesitation, I am a committed person. I am dedicated and avid, I am devoted and my overzealousness can be proved by my attendance at work: never have I missed a class and, in fact, I have even completed overtime by covering for other tutors! It is blindingly obvious that tutoring is a passion of mine. However, I regret to say tutoring is not my only passion. As stated in my resume and our company website, I enjoy (to the point of obsession) writing and reading so much it is starting to become a fault. I can hear you asking how on earth a hobby could be so disparaging but it is the reason I am asking for the last two hours off on Sunday the 23^rd.

My favourite author, John Flanagan, has visited many places overseas and throughout Australia while holding book signings with his adoring fans. Unfortunately for me, John has always sidestepped our city and plowed on ahead to the more iconic places such as Sydney and Queensland. Whenever I find out other lucky admirers have the chance to meet him, a small part of me crumbles and dies because I cannot meet the author who inspired me in so many ways.

But all of that has changed. John is coming to Melbourne for the first time and I, as one of his adoring fans, would love nothing more than to have the chance to shake his hand and ask him the questions that have burned to be answered for a very, very long time. Ever since I picked up the first book three years ago, my mind has piled up question after question and if they are not answered in depth soon, there is a good chance my head will spontaneously combust. I admit some of the tension has been released through John’s last book The Lost Stories in which he answers the many questions fans have asked over the years and provided greater insight into the lives of not only the main characters but also the secondary ones which we all appreciate. I too, asked John a question and he graciously took the time to post a video on Youtube and Facebook answering my question. Yes, John specifically answered my question! He said my name in the video and I am sincerely flattered, so much so that I cannot cease my giggles and squeals every time I watch it. As John took the time to answer my question, I believe it is only courteous, polite and the social norm to thank him in person for his time writing, his effort with his fans and his inspiration to generations of readers. By that, I don’t mean John has been writing a long time, I mean that his books are brilliant enough to have the ability to appeal to a large demographic.

As you have probably already inferred, John has an unbelievably large fan base and simply on his Facebook page alone, he has 10, 635 likers. It is by no means an exhaustive number. Just as there are millions, if not billions of silent readers of blogs, magazines and newspapers, there are potentially several thousands of readers that enjoy John’s books. You must admit, this only adds credibility to the embodiment of amazement we know as John Flanagan. Those who are fortunate enough to be in his exalted presence are blessed with the memory of meeting such awesomeness and fantastic-osity and in what universe can one protest against meeting one as awe-inspiring as John Flanagan?

To see my favourite author with my own two eyes would be the cherry on top of the sprinkles of tutoring complementing the ridiculously wonderful sundae that is my life and to be refused the chance to meet with my idol, my icon, my hero would be akin to refusing me my twenty amino acids and elements necessary for life—my health would rapidly spiral into the blackness of deterioration and I fear I will never be the same bubbly, beautiful and confident Silvia ever again.

So yeah, Linda, can I please take Sunday eleven to one off? I’ve already talked to John (the tutor, not the author) and he’s willing to cover for me =)

~~~~~

SHE ACCEPTED IT!!

I was gobsmacked, but hey, who could argue against a letter as persuasive as mine? 😉