Corte Madera and Tracy Chevalier

 I was so tickled to go see Tracy Chevalier. Wow. She is an incredible speaker. So confident, but also so down to earth at the same time. I found myself terribly inspired and almost in a frenzy to begin my own writing career after hearing her. I asked two questions during the Q&A afterwards. The first was, "How do you think the internet has changed the research process for writers in recent years?" She said that though she likes to use the internet for quick answers, she tends to want to do the main research for a book from other books. Books tend to be edited and complied in a much more thorough way than internet sites, she said. I really thought that was interesting and smart. I also asked if she still wrote her novels on paper with a pen, rather than on a computer. She said she is one of a "dying breed" and she writes for a day or two on paper and then complies it on a word processor.
   I was just fascinated by her. It made me want to see other authors speak. Also, though she isn't what someone would think of as conventionally beautiful, I found her stunning in stature and poise. Her face was sweet and strong at the same time and she had ever so slight of a lisp. Not truly a lisp, but something happened with her tongue when she spoke, and I was mesmerized by it.


I have read all of her books so far, save her latest one--At The Edge of the Orchard.
Her first, Virgin Blue is set during the Huguenot time in France. I don't remember it well except for grisly scene when you find out a young girl was buried beneath a cavernous fireplace. I think. It's been a while. Girl With the Pearl Earring is her second and probably my least favorite of her books, though it is the most well known. Falling Angels, the third, was a stunning novel that crept quietly but with big feet around the votes for women movement. The part that stuck with me about that novel was when the girls who embroidered the flags for the marches would misspell words and phrases so the women would look ridiculous. The Lady and the Unicorn was next and quite and interesting novel. I don't remember loving it terribly. But I saw the unicorn tapestries in the Cluny in Paris when Eric and I were there for our honeymoon so I felt as if I had a vested interest when I was reading it. Burning Bright is about William Blake. I love the imagery in this novel. I felt as if I knew Blake at the end. Remarkable Creatures is my most favorite of all her novels. It  centers around the story of Mary Ewing who became fascinated with the fossilized remains of sea creatures off the coast of England. Oh, such a great read! The Last Runaway, her next book, is, I think, her least well written book. I didn't get into the characters. The scenes didn't hold me. Still fine writing, but my her best work. I can't wait to read At The Edge of the Orchard!