Remus Lupin (answertoten) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-07-21 02:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, huckleberry finn, remus lupin |
Who: Remus Lupin & Huck Finn
When: Somtime in July
Where: Bookstore in Irvine
What: Random run in, discussing books and writing
Rating: Family Friendly
Status: Complete
Since school had let out and Remus didn’t have to spend his nights grading papers and making lesson plans, he had been catching up on his reading when he wasn’t spending time with Sirius or Tonks or any of his other friends. As a result, Remus had gone through most of the books that he’d bought during the school year that he hadn’t had a chance to read then, which meant he was now in need of some new books, considering it was only the beginning of the summer. The bookstore where he’d met Frodo, a few months earlier, wasn’t very far from his apartment, so he decided to walk down there and check out the new arrivals.
One might have thought that Huck would be sick of bookstores after touring around the country promoting his own book, but no. He seemed compelled to pop in anytime he passed one, and if he went in, he almost inevitably came out having bought something. He told himself that he would just browse this time, collecting ideas for birthday and holiday gifts, but whether he would succeed? That remained to be seen.
Upon reaching the bookstore, Remus went straight to the new arrivals table and began scanning the books laid out there. He wasn’t looking for any specific book, just something that would catch his attention. Sometimes it was the title that caught his eye and other times it was the cover. And every now and then Remus would be looking for a specific book, if there was something new by an author he liked, but today he was just looking for something new to read. There were a few books on his bookshelves that he had read before and planned to read again, but those were more or less a last resort if he didn’t find anything of interest today.
Huck wandered past the table, pausing to glance over the titles and cover-art, and smiling to himself as he saw his own book in the stack. “I keep looking for Jim Butcher’s new Cinder Spires series to come out, but I suspect I may be getting ahead of myself,” he mused, fingering the spine of one of the other volumes. “Is there anything you recommend in the meantime?”
Remus hadn’t even realized that anyone else was nearby, having zoned out slightly to anything else around him as he’d been scanning the books, “Oh, I haven’t actually read any of these yet. Most of my recommendations would be quite old, I’m sure.” Remus found it easier to recommend older books that he’d read more than one as opposed to newer books. Although, every now and then he read a new book that was so good that he needed to tell anyone who would listen, which wasn’t exactly too many people; or it hadn’t been up until recently.
“That works, too. I haven’t had much chance to read for recreation lately. Too busy proofreading, and editing.” And writing, of course. Always writing. “Finally have a little bit of a break my next project, so I figured it was time for an adventure. That and I’m collecting ideas for Christmas already, because otherwise it will all be left to the last minute.”
“Up until recently, I hadn’t either.” Remus enjoyed his job quite a lot, but it kept him very busy, so when he actually had some time to himself he usually read. At least that had been before he’d moved back to California. Once he’d done that, he had been spending time with his friends and family during his downtime, “Next project? Are you a writer?” When the man mentioned getting ideas for Christmas, Remus nodded, making a mental note to start on the same thing soon. He liked to be prepared come Christmas.
“Oh, well, as a matter of fact...yes.” Huck picked up a copy of The Machinist and held it up, showing off his picture on the back cover. “I used to write for the paper, but I’ve had the good fortune to expand my oeuvre.” He stuck out his hand to shake. “H.B. Finn. Huck to my friends.”
Remus had thought that the man looked somewhat familiar, but he hadn’t been able to place him until he picked up the book and turned the back cover to face him, “Of course. You wrote The Patchwork Monk. I’ll admit, steampunk isn’t normally a genre I read, but the synopsis grabbed my attention.” Remus had heard that the second book had been released, but he’d had so many books already that he hadn’t gone out to buy it yet. However, now would be a good chance to remedy that, “Remus Lupin.” He said, taking the other man’s hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Guilty,” Huck said, offering a sheepish smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my little world, even if it is a bit strange. And thanks for giving it a shot.”
“It was quite an entertaining read,” Remus picked up a copy of Huck’s newest book, hazel eyes scanning the cover before looking back up at the other man, “How did you become interested in this particular genre?” It was always interesting to find out why or how an author decided to write about a particular subject.
“I don’t know,” he said, “I guess I must have read Jules Verne and Mark Twain at an impressionable age--and then once I did start watching movies, I always loved the train in Back to the Future III. It’s sort of...the speculations of my inner Tom Sawyer, in a way.”
“It’s a very intriguing genre. Your portrayal of that world was very believable,” Remus held up the second book in Huck’s series, “I’ll definitely be checking this out now. Is it to be a trilogy?” Remus had never actually gotten the chance to speak to an author of a book he’d read. Never gotten to ask about their influences and ideas, so now he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave just yet and hoped that Huck didn’t mind.
“Thank you,” Huck said, beaming. He’d written several attempts before he’d gotten The Monk published, but he wasn’t sure he’d want anyone to look back and read his original drafts now. “Believe it or not, when the characters first walked on paper, it was set in space--sort of like Disney’s Treasure Planet, I guess. But I think I was able to but a lot more detail into a little bit smaller world, with airships travelling between continents, instead of planets.”
He nodded. “It is intended to be a trilogy. I’m working on the third book now. If they do well, and there continues to be a market, who knows. Maybe it’ll be a five-book deal.”
“How long does the process of writing a book usually take?” Remus knew it had to vary by the author, but he had always been curious as to the process of writing a book. He’d read so many of them in the past and on more than one occasion had gotten it into his head that maybe he could write one, but he’d never had an original idea, because his head had always been full of the stories he’d read. However, now, after the dreams he’d been having, he wondered if perhaps he could use them. “I imagine you’d want to take a break between books.”
“The first one I ever tried to write took me four years,” Huck said with a laugh, “I started it when I was fifteen, and finished around high school graduation or shortly thereafter. The second one took me three. Then I discovered National Novel Writing Month, and now I can crank out a rough draft in a couple months--depending on how much else I have to juggle. I’m shooting to release the third book next fall.”
“Wow. That is quite a long time.” Remus wondered how long it’d take him if he tried to write down his dreams as a story. Having written so many essays during his years at school and having taken more or less any class he could while trying to figure out what it was he wanted to teach, Remus had become a fairly good writer and despite the fact that he taught History, he found himself correcting students’ grammar when he graded essays. “I hope you make your goal.”
“As do I,” Huck said, crossing his fingers for dramatic effect. He grinned. “I hope you like the sequel!”