Justine Larbalestier

Comments

1. Jez Says:

   Just this morning as I was driving into school, looking desperately for a parking spot close enough not to make my tendonitis flare up, I caught myself thinking “I wish I had a parking fairy.” (your book is all I’ve been reading lately, it’s taken over my mind!)

   But I definitely have a bladder fairy, no question about it. I can drink as much as I want & not have to get up to go to the bathroom during a very long movie or have to pull over on a long car trip. And whenever I have to go there’s always a bathroom close by. I’m pretty happy with my fairy actually…but I still want that parking fairy sometimes.

   September 15th, 2008 at 10:40 pm

2. Sabrina Says:

   I have a crazy-fairy that makes me say insane things when I am sleeping. I will actually bolt upright and utter complete nonsense, which fortunately The Boyfriend is often awake for and sometimes records for me. Here are two recent ones:

   “I’ve never been the kind of person to catch balls from strangers in my mouth, especially in a cold hospital. That’s why I’m here today, doc.”

   and

   “Bayside High School Dance Club? That’s not what it was called.”

   Clearly I would never say these sorts of things while awake. So my fairy puts magical nonsense words into my head and makes me say them while I sleep. The Boyfriend himself is also a kind of fairy, because he is the one who documents these priceless tidbits, which I’m sure will one day be book-fodder.

   … But I wouldn’t mind Lauren McLaughlin’s neatness fairy. That would be nice.

   September 16th, 2008 at 12:11 am

3. Herenya Says:

   At the moment, I desperately, desperately, desperately want an essay-writing fairy. A fairy which would help me find useful, relevant research and ways to incorporate it, and help me think of intelligent things to say, or even just stop me from being so distracted and help me focus and … stay sane.

   September 16th, 2008 at 12:45 am

4. Joey Says:

   Welcome to our timezone! Best of luck with the real food, though I’d like to think the SF Bay Area isn’t one of those problematic areas, though we do have Krispy Kreme locations.

   September 16th, 2008 at 1:33 am

5. janet Says:

   I think I have a “seeing-both-sides-of-everything” fairy, which is annoying a lot of the time. I can never really commit.

   What I want is a “get things done” fairy. Or an “infinite patience” fairy (very useful for any parent).

   September 16th, 2008 at 1:46 am

6. the dragonfly Says:

   I’d really like to have a “keeps my toddler from getting into things” fairy. Or perhaps a “folds laundry” fairy.

   September 16th, 2008 at 2:19 am

7. Andrew Says:

   I seem to have attracted a Job Interview fairy.

   Unfortunately, he doesn’t help me actually get jobs, but does have the ability to suss out from the interview as to whether the job is going to suck or not.

   September 16th, 2008 at 3:19 am

8. lotti Says:

   My fairy, while useful sometimes, really annoys me. It’s the Exam Questions Fairy. See, every time I haven’t studied for something, the questions will always be about things I know.

   I need a Study So You Don’t Have To Panic About The Test You Didn’t Study For Fairy.

   September 16th, 2008 at 4:47 am

9. Kelly Says:

   I’m pretty sure I have a Friend-To-The-Animals Fairy. Fun and useful that animals instinctively like me (and I like them), but sometimes I would love a more utilitarian fairy that helped me in daily life. Like, I don’t know, a Deadline Fairy that brought about happy coincidences to allow me to do things late. Or maybe an Always-Gets-There-When-There’s-No-Line Fairy. God, that would be incredible!

   September 16th, 2008 at 4:55 am

10. Diana Peterfreund Says:

    I think my fairy is going to be posted sometime later. Meanwhile, I’m giving away two copies of JL’s new book today on my blog. Check it out!

    September 16th, 2008 at 8:31 am

11. Maggie Says:

    I really like the idea of that noise-cancelling fairy! I’d make her specialize, though. She’d have to be a lawn-mower coordinator fairy, so that lawn mowers can only mow on one day of the week, but not in the morning when I just sit down to write and not in the evening when I just sit down to read or watch TV.

    I think I have the clean-car fairy. I always seem to be able to keep my car clean for unusally long periods of time.

    September 16th, 2008 at 8:45 am

12. alys Says:

    I would love to have a no-stepping-out-in-front-of-traffic fairy, because I’m always thinking of something else (usually plot-problems or dialogue!) while I walk, and tend not to notice I’m about to cross a street.

    What I seem to have is the finds-cool-stuff-in-charity-shops fairy. (That’s op shops in Australian, right?) It’s not a bad fairy to have, but I might find something really cool and get run over before I have a chance to wear it…

    September 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am

13. sylvia_rachel Says:

    I think I have a remembering-useless-information-and-song-lyrics fairy. Or possibly a putting-other-people’s-babies-to-sleep fairy. Both of which can be useful (the former, admittedly, mostly for flummoxing people), but what I really need is either a decluttering fairy or a not-missing-the-bus fairy.

    September 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am

14. Winchester Grey Says:

    I need a visa appointments fairy that miraculously produces conveniently timed appointments with the US consular service whenever I look for one. Not only would it help me enormously now, but it would be a very profitable fairy in the future.

    I seem to have an amusing immigration drama that works out in the end fairy, that I would like to take out back and shoot.

    September 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

15. kam Says:

    i think i have a says-things-you-don’t-mean-to-say-out-loud fairy. and i wish i had a realy-good-at-drama fairy or a realy-good-at-softball fairy.

    September 16th, 2008 at 3:33 pm

16. emily. Says:

    i have a red light fairy. i hit every light between here and my school- turning 15 minute ride into a 35 minutes one.

    i wish i had a neatness fairy. or a no homework fairy. or a lab report fairy, who would tell me how to get this lab report done.

    September 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

17. Jay-wa Says:

    I think I have Trip-Up-The-Stairs fairy. Its awesome, I know. It’d be great to have like, Super-Speed fairy.

    lotti Says:

    My fairy, while useful sometimes, really annoys me. It’s the Exam Questions Fairy. See, every time I haven’t studied for something, the questions will always be about things I know.

    [[I need a Study So You Don’t Have To Panic About The Test You Didn’t Study For Fairy.]] I need one of those too…

    September 16th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

18. Haddy-la Says:

    i think i wnt a fairry that plays music in my head but i can still hear everything tht would be fantastic.

    i dont think i have a fairy nothings very consistant in my life thats good i mean fairys are supposed to be helpful (i understand that they can be annoying but helpful in idea) right

    September 16th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

19. Dorotheia Says:

    Speaking of noise cancelling fairies, that’s exactly what I’ve got. For short, I have the Automatic Tune-Out fairy. This is great until you realize that half the time I don’t know that I’m employing it. For instance, I’ll be into a book and not hear what my parents are saying I should do, or I’ll be into a homework problem and the teacher will comment about something and I realize that, whatever they have been saying, I’ve missed it completely. It takes about three repetitions of the same sentence to drag me out of my zone; and even then I might say, “Could you repeat the question?”
    However, there is a good side: I can ignore my brother for longer periods of time, though this also backfires because my brother is a pest about attracting attention. He’s very persistent.

    The fairy I wish I have is the “Always on Time” fairy. Then I’d never have to worry about catching the bus, getting to meetings on time, or having to wait for my family. This would even extend to deadlines, like returning books or finishing and handing in assignments.

    September 16th, 2008 at 11:48 pm

20. Deidre Says:

    I wish I had a writing fairy. Or maybe a time controlling fairy, to give me more time to write.
    I think I have a test fairy. She whispers all the multiple choice letters in my ear. It’s quite useful.

    September 17th, 2008 at 8:30 am

21. PrettyxMindedxRusty Says:

    I think I have a reading fairy. I always manage to find a book that I want to read (although seeing as how I’m an avid reader and extremely un-picky, this isn’t so hard). That or a bad-impression fairy. When I try to act serious and responsible I seem shy and stupid, and when I try to be outgoing I seem insane and stupid.
    What I really want is a good-coincidence fairy. Like if I didn’t have my homework one day, it would turn out my teacher is out sick and we’d be giving it in tomorow. That’s pretty much the polar opposite of mine.

    September 21st, 2008 at 8:19 pm

22. Leonadine Says:

    I am sure I have a fairy addicted to Orange Juice of all things. And I’m sure my boyfriend has a “perfect strategy” Fairy. He keeps winning every game he plays.

    September 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 am

23. Nadai Says:

    I’ve got a You’ll-Always-Have-A-Job fairy, which is useful. I’ve never been turned down for a job I interviewed for, and I’ve never been unemployed except when I wanted to be. Three times, I had people come looking for me to offer me a job.

    Of course, I’d trade her in for a Win-the-Lottery fairy. I wonder if there’s a [redacted] around here somewhere I might slide down?

    September 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm

24. Susan Adrian Says:

    I had to come back to this post, because I realized what fairy I have!

    I have a spelling fairy.

    I have a photographic memory for spelling, so if I’ve seen a word I remember how to spell it. Which, if a little annoying, at least helps in my job as an editor.

    I wish I had the strong bladder fairy of the first commenter! I am the reverse of that. Okay, no, I wish I had a “make it easy” fairy like the whole Staples button thing. I promise I wouldn’t use it all the time.

    September 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm

25. natalie Says:

    I think I have an amusement fairy. I can always come up with something to do, whether or not I should be doing it at that particular time.Which mans I’m never bored, which is good… but the fairy that I would like to have is a concentration fairy, to keep me from getting distracted from all the nice things I could be doing instead of my homework.

    September 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm

26. Ellen Says:

    I commute by train, and I have a very helpful ‘be standing right where the doors are when the train stops’ fairy most mornings, which means that even when the train is crowded, I usually get a seat. Thank you, fairy!

    I’d love a ‘tidy my house up’ fairy and a ‘declutter’ fairy. They could work as a team!

    September 24th, 2008 at 5:33 am

27. Lethe Says:

    I have a multiple choice test fairy. This was (obviously) a fantastically useful fairy during my education; I still giggle a bit at missing only three questions on the GRE after an intensive study program consisting of taking one practice exam the night before while watching “Buffy” on TV. I used to joke that you could give me a Scantron sheet and a test written in Amharic or Tagalog or proto-Finno-Ugric and I’d have a reasonable shot at making a passing grade. The enormous downside to this fairy is that it became completely useless the moment I put down my #2 pencil upon completing my Chemistry GRE, since for some strange reason, no one has been interested so far in giving me a multiple-choice test in graduate school or the real world. My fairy sits idle, drumming its fingers and thinking wistfully of the PSAT…

    I wish I had a task commitment fairy, one who could make me do my damn job without falling victim to distractions like posting overlong comments on weblogs.

    September 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am

28. claire Says:

    um, i haven’t wanted to say this, but I’M the one with the parking fairy. which is stupid, because i have never owned a car, even though i’ve been driving for 21 years. because of this, the fairy is absent-minded, and failed me the one time it mattered: when my friends were out of town and needed me to move their car because of street cleaning. otherwise, i usually find parking right at the door of the place i want to go, especially when it’s a park-unhappy part of town, as most of san francisco is.

    i WANT a perfect-health fairy: the one that not only miraculously heals all my current body woes, but also effortlessly guides my hand to the pole on the bus that HASN’T been touched by someone with a cold yet.

    September 24th, 2008 at 6:07 pm

29. HypotheticalDystopia Says:

    I have the never-run-out-of-toilet-paper fairy. Boring but useful.

    September 24th, 2008 at 9:31 pm

30. Darice Moore Says:

    I think I might have a deadline fairy. If I have a deadline, I immediately work at a pace that ensures I meet the deadline — even if I have an off day. It always works out. I’d like to claim that it’s my planning and determination, and those are part of it, but the fairy seems to step in whenever things go off the rails (sick child, sick self, sudden emergency) to make sure I can still deliver the goods on time. It’s a pretty useful fairy, actually, and I don’t mind keeping it.

    The flip side of this fairy is that if I DON’T have a deadline, the work doesn’t get done. This goes for housework, personal hobbies, and my own writing. I have to assign myself arbitrary deadlines to fool the fairy into helping out!

    September 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am

31. Megan Crewe Says:

    I seem to have a residence-finding fairy. Each of the three times we’ve had to find an apartment, I’ve had a sense that one particular place would be the right one, without even seeing pics. And all three times, the one I had that feeling about ended up being the one we liked best after seeing it. (And it wasn’t just self-fulfilling prophecy, because Chris–my SO–liked them best, too. ) It cuts down on apartment-hunting time quite a bit. I’ve also been able to find great cottages (and great deals) for the two retreats my writers group has done. I love my fairy!

    September 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am

32. Jen Says:

    I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. Great job

    When I stopped and thought about it, I realized that I probably have a reading fairy. (Hey, PrettyxMindedxRusty, maybe our fairies are related or something) Sound boring? Perhaps, but it lets me love to read and read fast. Books that take people a few weeks to read, I can finish in a day or two. And I understand it all! In school we had assigned book reading where we had to stay with the class and read only certain chapters at certain times. For example, one week we’d read chapters one and two, the next week we’d read chapter three, etc. It killed me! I’d have such a hard time sticking to the assignment because I’d always read ahead.

    The fairy I’d like to have though is a likability fairy. It’s kinda hard to explain but basically someone would come up and talk to me and when they walked away be thinking, “There’s something about her… She’s very nice.” Or something to that extent. I sound totally stupid but it makes sense in my head. Perhaps a perfect ‘putting the words from your head into your writing without sounding riddiculous’ fairy would be better!

    November 12th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

33. Holly-Wa Says:

    I Do have the Craziness Fairy (Sleepwise).
    I was at an all-night with friends and I unfortunately dozed off. Much to the amusment of said friends, I proceeded with:
    ” I say, I would like some cheese and beans, old bean.Spiffing!”
    and then with:
    ” HAHAHA!The fear will keep us warm, Melissa!”
    Needless to say,there wasn’t a Melissa present.

    The fairy I would Actually LIKE or want, would be the Nice Hair fairy. I will brush my hair, bend over, and …frizz.

    January 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 am

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