Road Trip: Patricia C. Wrede

Saturday morning I got up bright and early to take a road trip with a friend to Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis, Minnesota to attend an author signing with Patricia C. Wrede. Uncle Hugo's is the oldest independent Science Fiction bookstore in the United States. It opened in 1974.

She was signing her newest book -- Across the Great Barrier -- which she describes as Little House on the Prairie with magic. I also had a chance to get my copy of Thirteenth Child autographed too. These are the first two books in the Frontier Magic series. Pat also mentioned that she had just turned in The Far West the day before and that we could expect it about this time next year. I have been enjoying this series and can't wait to read the next volume.

Unfortunately, I didn't plan well and left the rest of my non-autographed books at home. I really enjoyed her Regency Romances with magic:

Sorcery and Cecilia began as a writing exercise with fellow author Caroline Stevermer where each exchanged letters in character. After doing this for a while, they realized that they might have a book. This one was published in 1988 and became sort of a cult classic. I happen to have two of the first paperback books in my collection. Then in 2004 they revisited the world and wrote The Grand Tour. Sorcery and Cecelia was also republished as a hardcover book. Two years later they continued the story with The Mislaid Magician, or Ten Years Later.

And her Enchanted Forest Chronicles are still very popular with middle grade readers (and adults who like her light-hearted approach to a variety of fairy tale tropes.)

Pat was kind enough to give my friend and I her address so that we can send her a self-addressed stamped envelope and some book plates to get her autograph for the books we forgot at home. That has to get on my "to do" list soon.