(Note: These are excerpts from the original newsletter that was published on this date. The Queen's Own address has been updated. The current President of Queen's Own is Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn. For more information, see http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm.)

[Begin Excerpt]

Dear Misty Fans,

from Closing Time by Semisonic

It's 1987, and two women who have little in common other than a love of reading have just finished Arrows of the Queen. Both are so impressed that they write letters to its author, Mercedes Lackey. Imagine their delight at getting handwritten replies, and their surprise at finding that Misty is not a full-time writer. She is writing in her "spare" time, while working horrendous hours at American Airlines as a programmer.

"Aha," think the two women. "We'll start a fan club for her and make her so famous she'll be able to quit that job and write full-time. There will be even more books for us to enjoy."

Misty gave her okay--well, actually she said, "You are crazy, but if you really want to start the fan club . . . you have my and Tweri's blessing, she's putting you in the catalog . .. "--and that is how Queen's Own came into being! (Teri refers to Teri Lee of Firebird Arts & Music, then known as Off Centaur. In 1987, Misty was known more for her filk than her fiction.)

The first newsletter was one page, mailed in February, 1988. It was mostly an introduction, sent to people who had written to DAW, Teri or Misty. We continued with a one page format until January 1989 when we mailed out our first two pager. At that time Misty wrote, "Well, the holidays are over and I'm still behind. Sigh. I am amazed at the number of cards I got (from Australia yet!). Please tell everyone that I'm thrilled and just sorry I couldn't respon individually as much as I would have liked to."

After the MArch 1990 issue my partner went on to other interests and QO became completely mine. Thus Herald Housemother was born. Thinking of you all as family was the only way I could face the work and responsibility. It was at this time I asked for dues. Until then, QO had been funded by donations and I had run off each issue on my husband's Xerox machine. In October of 1990 Misty finally quit her day job and started writing full time. (No, QO is not taking any credit for that.)

The club continued to grow, as did the number of local chapters, zines, and Collegium entrants. In December 1990 archivist Patricia Riggs reported that we had 62 Heralds, 1 Shin'a'in scout, 1 White Winds Sorceress, and 2 Bards. We had members in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Englang, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Philippines, Scotland, and every state of the US.

Local Chapters: Arrows Online [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Austral'a'in--For more information, write to Cassandra Vuksa [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Companion's Choice--Shanara Ravensong [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. The Herald's Companion--Herald's Companion c/o Karen Bertke [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. The Messenger--Joanne Thwaites [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Pacific Northwest Collegium--c/o Laura Cameron/Moonglade K'Shena [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.].

News in the October 1991 issue concerned Misty and Larry's new home. Larry described the transaction: "The closing went smoothly. To insure it would be fun for all, Misty went in a black suede skirt and blue satin and lace top, with her Aussie Digger hat, and I arrived in a white tux-and-tails. The paperwork took about half an hour, and the jokes lasted another half an hour. The moving has begun! And yes, for those wondering, I did wear my black sequined shoes." Their new home is known as the weirdest house in Oklahoma. It began life as a concrete dome (single piece, not geodesic); it then acquired an octagonal wooden shell, raising it from 2-1/2 stories tall to 5-1/2 stories tall, where it looms over the countryside. Misty &a,p; Larry call it hte "Eerie Aerie."

In 1992 we eagerly awaited the release of Born to Run and the McCaffrey/Lackey collaboration, The Ship Who Searched. Larry informed us that Tannim's bed (in Born to Run) actually exists. He regrets not buying it, but at the time he says, there just wasn't any place to put it. Born to Run was an introduction for many of us to Irish pub music and the Celtic rock group TEMPEST.

1993 brought us Winds of Fury and the second Bardic Voices book, The Robin and the Kestrel. The Black Gryphon reached bookstores the end of that year.

In 1994 Larry gave us a few hints about future Gryphon books: "White Gryphon won't be what you're expecting, I would say. And I can tell you that at least part of Silver Gryphon will be set in the current (Storming Warning) time base. <smile> "Skandranon is going to recover from the effects of being Gate-trapped, though, despite some very serious aftereffects . . . acidosis, etc. It occurred to me that one of the most miserable creatures on Velgarth would be a ticklish gryphon. He'd NEVER get away from those feathers."

Misty & Larry shared their home with eight large exotic birds and a parakeet in 1995. After telling us of the joy the birds bring them Misty warned, "If this all sounds delightful and you can't wait to get a bird of your own, you should be aware that having an exotic bird means work and a lot of responsibility. Exotic birds are highly intelligent and need stimulation and attention. By hand raising and socializing these young birds, we are making ourselces the substitues for their flock; we must now provide all the social contact and stimulation they need and crave, not just once in a while, but every day."

Firebird's long-awaited Arrows of the Queen Concordance was ready for mailing in 1996. The Silver Gryphon and Storm Breaking arrived in bookstores and were promptly bought up. 1997 brought us Owlflight and more new merchandise from Firebird, including Herald and Shin'a'in doll-sized costume patterns.

And here we are in 1998!

Misty has always been somewhat bemused by the idea of a fan club: "I figure likeliest when you started this thing that one of two things would happen: either ou'd get 3 people (high probability) or hundreds (low)."

Fan mail startled her, too. She wrote "I was amazed and flattered no end by the letters you sent on. Good heavens, you'd think I was Tolkien or something!"

Yes, Misty, you are definitely something. Something very special that brings out the best of your readers and allows them to be special, too.

Convention News: Fantasy Worlds Festival is September 4-6 in Berkeley, California. GoH is Barbara Hambly, Artist GoH is Alicia Austin. Marion Zimmer Bradley will attend if her health permits. Membership is limited to 300 and costs [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Josepha Sherman will be Guest of Honor at EerieCon 1 April 16-18, 1999 (Yes, that's NEXT year) in Niagra Falls, New York. [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. THe hotel is Fallsview Resort; [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. This is an ideal con for anyone new to fandom. You can bring your gamily and sightsee, too.

Queen's Own has been my introduction to new friends and new experiences, Ren Faires, conventions, zines, filk--these were all unknown to me before QO. Pen pals? I was too old for such nonsense, I thought. My thanks to all of you for making me feel young again, for letting me be your Housemother, and for sharing so much of your lives with me. Please be as generous and supportive of Robin. I hope you'll keep in touch--Love, Judith.

Owlsight, the sequel to Owlflight, has an October release date. It will be [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Owlflight will be released as a [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.] paperback at this time.

Firebird Arts and Music carries all of Misty's books and lots of other merchandise, like Babylon 5 soundtracks, Larry's art prints, porcelain jewelry, kits for plastic knights and Robin Hood characters, doll-size costume patterns for Heralds & Sin'a'in, T-shirts, and Celtic design gift wrap. And now they ahve a retail loaction! The address is [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.].

Firebird is sharing a building with Vacation RV. Teri says, "Come visit and if you need car, truck or RV repairs, talk to Chris or Dan."

Other Fandoms Michael Praed--Michael Praed Network NewsLetter c/o Kate Raymond [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Doctor Who and other Media--The Prydonians of Prynceton [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Dues are $12 ($22 for first class postage) for their monthly newsletter, The Prydonian Renegade. Tanya Huff--NINE ABOVE! [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Anne McCaffrey/Pern: [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Lois Bujold can be reached at [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.] "The Bujold Nexus" is at [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. For a sample of the Dendarii Dispatch and information of Lois's fan club, send a SASE to [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Pandemonium--the official Melanie Rawn club invites you to join their ranks. SASE for more information: [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.].

If you can't visit Portland, visit the Firebird website at [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. If you want a "real" catalog, [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. Firebird does not answer inquiries from prison addresses.

Also new from Firebird is an e-mail list for Misty fans, to keep you up-to-date on the latest news. If you would like to be included, send your e-mail address to Teri: [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.].

Stamps for Life is still collecting used postage stamps from all countries but has a new address. The cash from teh sale of these stamps is used to purchase equipment and medication for children in the Cancer Ward of Manchester Children's Hospital in England. Simply remove the stamps from all your mail and send them to [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]. They will be sent to England. Send a few, send a lot, all will help. If you lose the Pittsburgh address, send the stamps to [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.]; I'll mail them on.

Fan Messages:

[Ed. note 2005: Content withheld.]

Personals:

[Ed. note 2005: Content withheld.]

Recommended reading: everything by Lois McMaster Bujold--read the earlier Miles Vorkosigan adventures before reading Mirror Dance, Memory; and Komarr; David Weber, especially his Honor Harrington series again, best read in order. Watch for Echoes of Honor, coming in October.

For definitions of our fannish jargon, read "Pros & Cons: A Introduction to Fandom" written by Elizabeth Barrette. Send [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date info withheld.] for this 12 page booklet.

Queen's Own [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date content withheld.], for 9 issues of the newsletter. Sending out only nine issues per year will let me keep the dues at [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date content withheld.] and still nearly break even. Please make checks payable to Queen's Own in US funds only--my bank charges me $10 to cash a foreign currency cheque. You may pay [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date content withheld.] if you wish. The $8 fee covers the cost of printing and mailing; I have no objection to your sharing a newsletter. Check the date on your address label to see when your membership ends.

Queen's Own is the official Mercedes Lackey Appreciation Society. Our purpose is to share our enjoyment of Misty's worlds. We are a fan-run not-for-profit organization not a business. Our address of publication: [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date content withheld.]. This newsletter is published solely to inform and-entertain the club's membership; no infringement of anyone's copyrights is intended.

Deadline for next newsletter contributions: September 10--earlier is better. Give your new editor Robin Ready a chance to get organized and time to experiment.
Next Mailing Day: September 19 (Winnetka, California).

Retiring Editor, President, Dogsbody, Housemother--Judith Louvis [Ed. note 2005: Out-of-date content withheld.]
New Editor, President (and whatever titles she chooses)--Robin Ready
Border art--Heather L. Wedo
Mailing Day Helper--SpiritBlade.

[End Excerpt]

Queen's Own is the official Mercedes Lackey Appreciation Society. Our purpose is to share our enjoyment of Misty's worlds. We are a fan-run not-for-profit organization, not a business. Our address of publication: P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA. This newsletter is published solely to inform and entertain the club's membership; no infringement of anyone's copyrights is intended.

Newsletters are published on (or near) the first of each month.

Editor/President Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn (L.A. Malcor; AOL-IM SN Shashtah; Legend@malcor.com)

Mercedes Lackey does not receive mail at the Queen's Own address. Fanmail to Mercedes Lackey and releases for fan fiction should be sent to:

Mercedes Lackey
c/o High Flight Arts and Letters
P.O. Box 2970
Claremore, OK 74017

Zhai'helleva,

Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn

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