When we saw that Leigh Bardugo was going to be in LA for King of Scars, going was a sure thing. Michelle and I got our tickets right when they were announced and we eagerly waited for the day of the event.
We pressured Jessica into getting a ticket and we all headed up early in the day. We stopped at The Ripped Bodice for buy some romance books.
From there we headed to Cheesecake Factory to meet up with Sabrina and Jenn who also came up from San Diego. After eating, we headed up to the events area to see how it was all going down.
We ended up getting to the right area at the right time. They told us that they were going to be checking people in at 5:30 and then you would be put in a line and then led to a seat.
We got seats in the second row, which happened to be the fourth row because the first two rows were reserved. We did go down to the second floor and do all the fan things {which was getting a photo taken for the Grisha passport and then getting to pick a pin.}
They had a bowl set out with note cards so you could submit a question. Leigh and Eric came out around 7:15 and started talking. They alternated between audience questions and picking from the bowl.
{I will state now that this is not the entire thing. I spent a lot a lot a lot of time trying to get photos because we were so smooshed into the seats. Thankfully, the woman next to me was cool and we took turns leaning over each other to get a sliver of Leigh’s face.}
L: this has been so surreal for me. I think all of the started about 2 years ago when you said you were reading it.
E: I was looking for fantasy, but fun. You know, something with not a lot of rape. I asked for people to give recommendations. And then I went down the Leigh Bardugo rabbit hole.
L: we had a lunch and talked about it. We knew early on that we wanted the characters from SoC and S&B together. I remember coming home and thinking that I really wanted to do this. What did you think. Did you think “she’s really pretty.”
E: I explained it to my agent and I said I wanted to treat it right.
L: when you were growing up, what was young Eric reading?
E: I started in the sci-fi
L: the book that unlocked it for me was Dune. Was there something that is a comfort book?
E: I was exposed to Dune by the LYNCH film and that was weird.
L: it sounds like reading was an escape.
Do you have any idea about the casting?
E: we’re not there yet. That’s a future Eric problem.
L: The question is: Inej? The answer is: yes. Should I pick another question? Okay. How about: Do you have plans for the Darkling’s past?
L: I can’t answer that. I will say that the one death I regret is not the one you think. It’s Harsha okay.
Will Wylan and Jesper be in the series?
E: absolutely.
L: I will say Eric has been ahead of the game. Not just for diversity in the series, but for behind the scenes too. We have a very diverse writers room.
E: and my group of murder babies are here.
How do you juggle writing multiple POVs?
L: I use Schrivner and I color code it. For KOS, I wrote everyone’s section in the same piece to make sure they had a hero’s arc.
Is there anything we haven’t seen that we will? Like the western part of the map?
L: can I say that we’re going to see the characters in SoC before the events of SoC happen? Eventually I may get there. For now, I have a second book in the KOS world and then a sequel for Ninth House and then if you still want it, I might write a third SoC book.
Is there a chance that we’ll see something from Language of Thorns or Darkling’s origin?
L: Eric?
E: I can say that’s another book I had Netflix get the rights to.
L: I want the writers to have as much room as they can. We want to surprise you, but we want to keep the heart of the stories intact. We want it to feel new because it is different. Eric just walked me through the first season, episode by episode. Even if they do even half of what is there, your mind will be blown.
How do you come up with names?
L: if the characters don’t have a name that fits, I can’t write them. I do kill a lot of characters, so if they’re just walking though a village or they’re going to die in a couple pages, they’ll get three question marks.
You had previously optioned with Dreamworks. What convinced you to go with Netflix?
E: I had to break into Dreamworks and steal it. Me and 5 others.
L: that was a test. I’ve been to so many meetings and met with so many people about this. They give you compliments and tiny bottles of water and you know right away if they’re right or not. And it wasn’t until I sat with Eric that it felt right. I was nervous to hand over not one book or two books, but the keys to everything. So yeah, don’t fuck it up.
E: I had to write the first episode and give it to Leigh. I got an email and it said “there are some red flags”. I went to that meeting and I was so nervous. The main thing was that I had a name wrong.
Any Grishaverse trivia you haven’t shared?
I love the idea that you guys think I’m walking around like these little tidbits. Like “the darkling loves caramels.” Which he does.
I think there may have been a few things after that, but I was sort of done. Once the conversation part was over, they switched out the chairs for a signing table and the audience was lined up row by row.
It took about 20 minutes before it was my turn to go to Leigh. As I handed the BN employee my books, she looked up and said hi and told me to get up on the stage and hug her. And after taking my photo, I did just that.
She said it was good to see me and I thanked her for coming. I also told her that I knew she had something to do with my getting an early copy of KOS and I thanked her for it. She said that I had been with her since the beginning and she loved me, so of course I was going to get a copy. We chatted for a second longer, I congratulated her on hitting #1 on the NYT list and then said bye.
As I was about to leave, I stopped and talked to the publicist from Macmillan for a second. It had been a while since I had seen her, so it was basically “hi bye I’ll find you at SDCC.”
Leigh Bardugo is one of the most amazing people on this planet. She’s charming and funny and so charismatic. If you ever get a chance to meet her and/or listen to her talk, I can’t recommend it enough.
It looks like you had so much fun! I was able to go to the King of Scars event in NYC, and it was amazing to meet Leigh and hear her answer questions.
Seeing Leigh is always a fun time! I hope you also enjoyed your time seeing her.
Thanks for reading and commenting!