talking with authors

[singer]

have any of you talked with an author before WITHOUT using a chat? i LJ my authors.

[Kathy Li]

Yup. I've done it. I'm sort of semi-addicted to booksignings and sf conventions. I've talked to a lot of different authors face to face, and it's quite a different experience meeting them in person vs. online. And yes, I met DD once, long long ago (before High Wizardry was published), when I was in college. She's very cool. But you knew that.

Professional authors are almost always fun to talk to if you love books.

[Peter Murray]

I went to two book signings by Douglas Adams in London, and the second time I'd been playing the Infocom Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy game, and was stuck trying to get the Babel fish. So I asked if he did hints. (He did. I got the fish.) The Infocom hint book wasn't available then.

And I didn't talk to him, but I saw Michael Moorcock at another signing - Dave Sim was signing Cerebus issues, and there was a parody of Elric in them. Moorcock didn't have to queue up with the rest of us .

[meteorite]

I'm fairly old school; most of my contacts with authors were at cons. I bumped into Roger Zelazny by accident, and only realized who he was after I overheard someone calling him by name; I had never seen a picture of him before (I got a copy of the newest {at the time} Amber novel signed). Ben Bova lectured at my engineering school once on development of space for industrial purposes. I knew enough to hand him a straight line for his favorite rant, good for 15 minutes of promoting his space consortium, and he signed my program aferwards. Although I do appreciate the chance to rub electronic elbows with authors I wouldn't ordinarily see, being in mid-Pacific Ocean.

[Kathy Li]

Most of my convention experiences have been at the San Diego Comic-Con, so it's mostly comic book folks whose autographs I snagged: Jack Kirby and Alan Moore are probably my prize autographs. Oh, and I've gotten chances to talk at Joss Whedon.

I never got to meet Zelazney face-to-face, although I did see a couple panels with him at World Fantasy one year. That is sooo cool!

PM: What was the hint? "Junk mail"?

[singer]

i've chatted with DD and Holly black and Tamora Pierce.

[Peter Murray]

Kathy asked:
What was the hint? "Junk mail"?

Nothing that direct. It was more along the lines of finding something to keep the cleaning robot busy, leaving me to realise that he meant the junk mail.

[Kes 22]

I've been to signings of Tamora Pierce (3), Christopher Paolini and That Guy Who Wrote the NaNoWriMo book. Back in elementary (K-5) school they'd have an author come in and lecture us but it's no one I really liked. I was so upset when they had Bruce Coville the year after I graduated that school.

I've written to K. A. Applegate (and gotten a response) I'm in Sherwood Smith's LJ community (where she frequents).

I've missed a lot of stuff too. Like a near-by (1 hour away) Neil Gaiman signing I heard about the night it was happening. And a George R. R. Martin signing that was 2 hours away that I meant to go to but then it just didn't work out. I've also missed all the DD chats. *sad*

I would totally do something drastic (which probably involves raising the dead) to go to a Douglas Adams signing. I'm very envious, Peter Murray.

[Mel]

I've had a whole buncha signings by some minor authors I still don't know the name of. Some of their books were pretty good, but they weren't spectacular, hence me forgetting their names. ( By the way, this is at my school. An author or illustrator comes each year, just like Kes 22)
We had a pretty cool bunch of illustrators, though, and they were pretty good. some of them.
The drrawback was that we didn't get to see them sign the books or talk to them personally. They stood up on stage, had a presentation, answered questions, stuff like that. But it was still pretty cool.

Other than that, I haven't met any other authors. Except DD in a chat, but that doesn't count, does it?

*sigh*

[Gryphon]

Holly Black? Really? *squee* *bounces up & down in cirlces* Where? How?? What!? ((spazzed))

I've met Jane Yolen and her daughter in real life before. This was in elementary school, and the school paid for her daughter to come and talk, but Jane Yolen came too, and there were book signings.

As for local signings and that sort of thing... I'm completely oblivious, but then... they'd probably be hours away at the closest.

I've only talked to DD through chat, but that's awesome enough *huggles* .

[Jennifu]

I've talked to a couple of authors, but they weren't that famous. And no one ever tells me when book signings happen by me (and I don't bother to check).

[singer]

Holly Black? Really? *squee* *bounces up & down in cirlces* Where? How?? What!? ((spazzed))

yes, she's so wonderful. I love bothering Holly. i'm on her livejournal friend list. well, she's on mine really. blackholly is hers.

----
you've met Tammy! i just emailed her. what's she like?

"Well, I ain't going smell it if that's what you want." Mr. Beaver, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

[consolidated double-post. --kli.]

[Kathy Li]

Originally posted by Mel:
... Other than that, I haven't met any other authors. Except DD in a chat, but that doesn't count, does it?

*sigh*

I think it counts. At an average book signing, you get maybe a minute or so with an author, and when DD comes to chat, we get a whole hour!

Gryphon wrote:
I've met Jane Yolen and her daughter in real life before. ...

Auntie Jane! [squee!] Isn't she wonderful? I remember one convention where she told us ghost stories at midnight. That was fun.

Jennifu wrote:
I've talked to a couple of authors, but they weren't that famous. And no one ever tells me when book signings happen by me (and I don't bother to check).

Well, if you wanted to check for DD, the News blog is a pretty good source. For me, it's pretty easy, since I'm on the mailing list for my local bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy, and they list all their signings on their website. A lot of bookstores do that these days, as well as authors and publishers putting tour schedules up on their websites.

[Dragon Writer]

I talked to author once. It was the author red scarf girl, and it was at the school library. The librarian thought I would like to meet her. I actually got an autograph, but I lost it a long time ago.

[Alyson-Devereaux]

I've met Isobelle Carmody, and seen heaps of other authors - Scott Gardner, Lisa Forrest, mostly Aussie authors. There's this big writers' festival near me every August, but they mostly only get Australian authors. My friend was in Sydney when Tamora Pierce was a couple years ago - MAJOR ENVY!