My mom is very excited because Garrison Keiler (best known for A Prairie Home Companion) talked about her (and her boyfriend) today on the The Writer’s Almanac. Here’s what he said (it’s even mostly accurate):
It’s the birthday of novelist Meg Cabot, born in Bloomington, Indiana (1967). As a kid, she hated the heat in Indiana, so she spent all her time in the library because it had air-conditioning. She realized that she actually loved to read, and decided that when she grew up, she would either be a writer or illustrate comic books.
After college she moved to New York and discovered that being an illustrator or a writer was not easy. So she worked as the manager of a dorm at NYU. Then her father died, and that changed two things:
First, she decided that life was short and she might as well do what she wanted, so she sent a publisher one of the novels she had written for fun, and eventually she got it published. It was a historical romance called Where Roses Grow Wild (1998). Second, her mom started dating again. She dated one of Meg’s college professors, and Meg was upset by it even though she felt like she shouldn’t be, so she wrote a story about a teenage girl whose divorced mother starts dating the daughter’s algebra teacher.
The story didn’t have much of a plot, so Cabot added a twist — the girl finds out that her father is the prince of a small European country, and that she is his only heir, and she has to go learn to be a princess. Before Cabot even published her first novel, Disney optioned the book for a movie starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway. In 2000, Meg Cabot published The Princess Diaries, and the film version came out in 2001. The Princess Diaries is a best-selling series, with 10 books in all.
It’s pretty cool when you can impress your mom ON your birthday. She was much more impressed by Garrison Keilor talking about her (she actually called ME to tell me about it) than she was when I told her that I am a birthday slut on Dlisted again this year. (In fact, she said, “What is Dlisted? Why would you want to be a slut? I do not think you are a slut. I don’t like that,” which I’m pretty sure Michael K would love to hear.)
I have no idea who took the photo above (it was sent to me by my friend Beth), but I LOVE it because for my birthday I had to work, so I kind of felt like that cat.
But I tried not to feel sorry for myself, because 99.9% of the population has to work on their birthday. Writers aren’t special. I like to celebrate my birthday by lounging around all day in my pajamas watching movies with either aliens or cowboys in them (how mad am I that Cowboys vs. Aliens is not coming out until this summer?). But fortunately I can do that when I am done with all the work I have due, so it’s not a big deal.
I have to say though, you all made me working on my birthday much more fun with all your happy birthday Tweets, Facebook postings, emails, cards, and messages. So thank you!!!!
In return, I offer you this, with something much more exciting (I hope) to come . . . when I finish it! Thanks again!!!! I love you all!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXHhnT1tHNM[/youtube]
More later.
Much love,
Meg
