Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: disturbed
  • Music: Rob Zombie, "Werewolf Baby."

"...I am."

Yesterday, I was sitting on BART reading the absolutely fantastic new book, I am Not a Serial Killer [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] by Dan Wells. It has blood splatter all over the cover. That's how you know it's quality.

Anyway, I was happily reading away when the train pulled into Embarcadero Station and a fairly generic-looking white male of approximately my age got on and took the seat beside me. He was very...standard issue, really. Brown hair, no visible blemishes, not handsome, not ugly, just normal. He was wearing an equally generic-looking gray suit, the kind that doesn't make you go "Wow, that guy's sharp" or "Wow, that guy needs to have a talk with his tailor." He was just normal.

We rode "together" (as in, crammed into the same two-person seater) to the Downtown Berkeley stop, where he got up, smiled pleasantly at me, nodded toward my book, and said, "I am."

And then he got off the train.

Had that been my stop, I think there's a very good chance I would have decided to ride to Colma, rather than disembarking. But the book is excellent, and I bet that, for most people, it doesn't come bundled with a maybe-joking-maybe-I-should-lock-the-doors stranger. Brrr.
Tags: book review, in the wild, so the marilyn, this is halloween
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rdmaughan

April 14 2010, 16:54:40 UTC 7 years ago

In the GURPS RPG there was a disadvantage called weirdness magnet. You might be the first person I know who has it outside the game.

Do you know what Dan Wells looks like? Any chance it was him?

saladofdoom

April 14 2010, 20:53:50 UTC 7 years ago

Sorry, From his twitter he was in LA yesterday.
I'm not a judge of such things, but I don't think he'd be described as 'not handsome' or 'not sharp'. I also think he'd have introduced himself to someone reading his book.
Definitely not a creepy guy.

seanan_mcguire

7 years ago

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janeg

April 14 2010, 17:01:38 UTC 7 years ago

Only you, Seanan.

Perhaps the local police would like you to sit down with a sketch artist. Come on, how often do you get a chance to do that?

batwrangler

April 15 2010, 00:13:40 UTC 7 years ago

A friend of mine once worked with a guy who "jokingly" confessed to being responsible for a series of assaults ... and it turned out later that the guy was in fact responsible -- as in arrested and convicted for them.

So, yeah, I'd definitely consider talking to the local authorities.

seanan_mcguire

7 years ago

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valdary

April 14 2010, 17:03:54 UTC 7 years ago

Serial killers sit next to Mira Grant on the train.

the_s_guy

April 14 2010, 17:14:46 UTC 7 years ago

AND FLIRT.

Seriously, though, I think this guy wins a "hair-raisingly creepiest statement in fewest words" award of some kind.

seanan_mcguire

7 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

7 years ago

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jawastew

April 14 2010, 18:15:30 UTC 7 years ago

I'd be disturbed, too. I don't even have a good reply to this... That's creepy, to say the least.

seanan_mcguire

April 20 2010, 04:26:30 UTC 7 years ago

Yes.

themysteriousg

April 14 2010, 18:17:40 UTC 7 years ago

And BART becomes yet a little creepier.

Hi, by the way. New fangirl. Love your stuff...you made Pleasant Hill and Fremont cool.

seanan_mcguire

April 20 2010, 04:26:52 UTC 7 years ago

Hi! I'm glad you like my Bay Area. :) Wait until you get a look at Berkeley...

joecoustic

April 14 2010, 18:33:17 UTC 7 years ago

Oh wow....

No idea what I would have said but not a subject I would want to delve into further.

seanan_mcguire

April 20 2010, 04:27:07 UTC 7 years ago

Nooooooooooooo not so much.

blythe025

April 14 2010, 18:35:39 UTC 7 years ago

Laughs and chills. Both at the same time. Wow.

seanan_mcguire

April 20 2010, 04:27:18 UTC 7 years ago

Pretty much my response exactly.

naamah_darling

April 14 2010, 18:36:21 UTC 7 years ago

. . . . Someone help me. I can't decide if I think that's awesome or terrifying.

Either way, what a GREAT story.

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:36:48 UTC 7 years ago

YES.

amanda_nye

April 14 2010, 19:11:13 UTC 7 years ago

*hitting play on the Twilight Zone theme*

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:36:57 UTC 7 years ago

*giggle*

gwynnega

April 14 2010, 19:12:16 UTC 7 years ago

Eeeeeeeek.

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:37:09 UTC 7 years ago

Precisely.

ravenclawed

April 14 2010, 19:50:40 UTC 7 years ago

I really, really hope this was his bad way of flirting, like others have said. Or he was just messing with you. I wonder if, somewhere in the internet void, he's blogging that he just creeped out a fellow BART rider.

I keep thinking this would make for a good song.

This is my first chance to use this icon in any sort of proper context.

cleothyla

April 14 2010, 20:23:47 UTC 7 years ago

I agree with the song. P.S. Love the name and icon. :)

ravenclawed

7 years ago

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tiferet

7 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

7 years ago

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azurelunatic

April 14 2010, 21:18:47 UTC 7 years ago

Making BART creepier!

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:37:47 UTC 7 years ago

It's a pastime.

tiferet

April 14 2010, 22:04:29 UTC 7 years ago

I would have smiled sweetly and said "Me too."

I can't decide if this makes me a smartass or just shows a complete lack of common sense & survival instinct. But what can you expect from someone whose favourite fictional character of all time is Jim Profit?

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:38:02 UTC 7 years ago

I would have needed another second or two for reacting.

tiferet

7 years ago

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blitheringpooks

April 14 2010, 22:41:26 UTC 7 years ago

Now that? Is creepy.

seanan_mcguire

April 21 2010, 21:38:13 UTC 7 years ago

Yes.

ash_of_roses

April 14 2010, 22:54:00 UTC 7 years ago

I need to remember that your taste and mine have occasional strong parallels. Downloaded the book when I saw your post this morning, finished it about an hour and a half ago.

Thanks for the rec, will definitely be looking for more by this guy.

seanan_mcguire

April 22 2010, 02:11:25 UTC 7 years ago

I'm excited that it's a trilogy!

marziek

April 15 2010, 00:34:07 UTC 7 years ago

Alrighty then....
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<squeaks!>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

Alrighty then.... <squeaks!>

seanan_mcguire

April 22 2010, 02:11:34 UTC 7 years ago

Yes, exactly.

idancewithlife

April 15 2010, 01:18:52 UTC 7 years ago

Yet another entry for your upcoming (I hope!) "In the wild" collection of posts about interesting encounters...

I am rarely creeped out--that did it. But I ROLF'd as well. Wow.

Lola

seanan_mcguire

April 22 2010, 02:11:44 UTC 7 years ago

Yeah. Wow.

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

April 22 2010, 02:11:58 UTC 7 years ago

Colma has an excellent Chinese buffet, which pleases me.
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