2007 Personality Profile: “Fan”tastic Voyage
Lydia Watson has her head filled with fantasies and travel. Will her quest in public relations put her at the forefront of young adult literature or have her spinning the globe?
When asked about Dragon*Con, a science fiction, fantasy, anime and everything else convention, Lydia Watson immediately stops typing on the keyboard, turns to you and begins to almost speak in tongue about her favorite event of the year.
Off in her own little world, Watson engulfs herself in books and travel. She can usually be found online on Facebook, chatting it up with other Dragon*Con fans or posting pictures of her recent trip to Russia.
Watson finds it hard to talk about herself, according to her Facebook profile. “I always find it so hard to talk about myself in these little ‘about me’ sections. Who am I?” She is asked how she became involved with fantasy. The Atlanta native pushes her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, revealing a plethora of freckles. Her next entry reinforces that she loves to read and write. She begins with Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Enchantment with fantasy seemed almost instantaneous for Watson, after receiving recommendations to read Lord of the Rings.
“Everyone mentioned Lord of the Rings. I read it and went crazy,” Watson said. A blushed look colors her already pink cheeks, even darker upon the recollection of encountering the Tolkien novel. She plays with her hair some more. Her eyes gleam with memories. After finishing the book, she took the initiative to find out if there was more beyond Lord of the Rings. This led her into the boundless world of young adult literature.
Five years ago, Watson attended her first Dragon*Con. She has loved going to D*C every year since. “Getting to meet authors!” was her first response. She has met some authors, but this year three of her favorite authors would be attending: Cassandra Clare, the author of the New York Times bestselling young adult fantasy series, The Mortal Instrument; Holly Black, the author of the bestselling Modern Faerie Tale series, which includes The Spiderwick Chronicles; and Scott Westerfield, New York Times bestselling author of the young adult Uglies series. Watson smiles enthusiastically as she comments that Westerfield’s writing are “very unique in the way he connects them to someone else in fairytales.
Watson has set goals to have fun, talk with authors and attend the Buffy Horror Picture Show at this year’s D*C. Dressing up as Ginny Weasley is also a goal. This year, Watson will be in charge of ushering James and Oliver Phelps, who play the Weasley twins in the popular Harry Potter movies.
In saving up money for the future, Watson has already calculated the 2008 Comic-Con in San Diego, California, into her budget; although her recent trip to Russia during the summer of 2007 “blew the budget.” However, she raves in her blog about going to the Harry Potter premiere in England. She gloats on the chance to meet J.K. Rowling at the premiere. From spending four weeks in Russia and two weeks in England, Watson claims on her Facebook page that she has been “bitten by the travel bug.”
Currently attending Georgia Perimeter College to study journalism, Watson’s future plans include transferring to Georgia State University to complete journalism or get involved with film. Nurturing an interest in publishing, she mentions that, someday, she would like to “work in public relations for an author.” She reiterates, “I am not sure if I want to write fantasy stories.”
Whatever she decides, with Watson’s adventurous imagination, Prince Charming will have to travel to far-away places to keep up with her and bring Comic-Con tickets.