Someone you’d read and admired?
Did you gush? What did you say? Did you feel silly afterward?
Do you think authors are like celebrities who grow weary of being complimented on their books? Answering the same old questions, heard it all before?
I’m just curious if anyone has had such an experience at a book launch or reading or something.
Dava Sobel was on our eclipse tour in China this summer. I didn’t talk to her all that much, because I’m in awe of her. So I stood around like somebody who didn’t know what to say, and hoped not to make too much of a fool of myself around her.
I met Anne McCaffrey. She picked a friend and I up at the train station in Ireland and brought us to her home for a visit. Then drove us back to the station. I had read her books, but I’m not really the type to write fan letters or gush or even want to meet authors, for that matter. I went because my friend was a big fan and set the whole thing up.
I let my friend do most of the talking since it was her deal, but I talked about some of my favorite characters from her Dragonriders of Pern books, and admired her horses & stables.
I just wrote an author - he’d written a book about business and management consulting that was reviewed in the NY Times Weekly Book Review, I had read it, and had a POV about it. I got an email address through the book / his website, wrote him, and heard back where he understood my point and basically agreed with it. Straightforward exchange amongst business professionals - easy and cool.
I met Bruce Campbell (actor, but he wrote “Confessions of a B Movie Actor”. I am embarrassed as all hell to admit I did gush, and I was completely flustered. I had a huge crush on him, and moreover, was one of the very very few girls in the line to see him.
I still blush when I think of it. But I did get his autograph in my book - “Gimme some sugar, baby!”
I met Neal Stephenson but it was at at book signing so it was the forum for talking about his books.
Daisy Bates at the library where I worked. I never asked her about her book.
At the same library Charles Portis, author of True Grit. I asked him about the differences in the novel and the film, and about a character in Dog of the South.
Nope, not yet anyway.
I doubt I’d gush. I’m not much for celebrity worship and would probably just tell them I liked their books in a normal tone of voice.
I’m going to move this over to Cafe Society.
twickster, whose sister was friends with Dave Barry before he was Dave Barry, so I used to see him pretty often 20 or 25 years ago.
Let’s see…
I’ve gotten drunk with Spider Robinson. No gushing, just filking and punning.
…had coffee with George R. R. Martin. I was the only one at the table not gushing over Ice & Fire. I told him I prefered Armageddon Rag. That got me substantially more face-time with him.
…had lunch with Ray Bradbury on several occasions. Wide-ranging, free-wheeling, thought-provoking conversations were had.
…had drinks with Larry Niven. We discussed keeshonds, booze, and my First Edition Ringworld, which he signed.
OK, I gushed over Terry Pratchett. At least the first time.
Most of the others I’ve met have been at signings and the like, where you get in, get signed, get out. The list of SF authors in this group is quite large.
I’ve spoken to Dave Barry, Salman Rushdie, Berke Breathed, and Phil Foglio. All in the context of book signings and the like, though.
Ray Bradbury? Dave Barry? Wow!
That said, I’ve never met a celebrity and don’t really want to. I’d either be the millionth unremarkable person to say, “I love your stuff” or I’d do something horribly embarrassing like trip and fall on them. Or what if my idol behaved like a jerk? I’d be heartbroken.
I got my picture taken in front of Stephen King’s house, though.
Several. On occasion, I have gushed. It’s not a pretty sight. Usually, though, I’m about normal.
Weirdest case was when I met Toni L.P. Kelner. We were both watching our kids play at the indoor playground across from Sam Goody’s at the Northshore Mall (now gone. So is Sam Goody’s), and somehow I knew she was an author. I have no idea how I knew this – she wasn’t doing anything authorly – not even reading. But, yes, she answered in some surprise, she was an author. She even had a brochure that she gave me.
I told her about my forthcoming book, and about some Bad Movies, and we later met up with our spouses for dinner.
her mysteries are good, but not widely enough distributed. She’s probably better-known as co-editor with Charlaine Harris of two anthologies:
James Dickey was at my sister’s wedding. I was like 8 and hadn’t quite read Deliverance yet, so I didn’t engage him in any deep conversations.
If I’m sitting around the bar, the story is told a little different.
Neil Gaiman
Bill Bryson
Margaret Atwood
All at book signings, no gushing, all seemed like very reasonable people. Bryson I exchanged a few words with, probably because you can’t help but feel like you know him after reading his books.
Just at one book signing. Kurt Vonnegut was showing some of his art at a gallery downtown, and my friend and I grabbed all our copies of his books to high-tail it down there (we just heard about it the day it was going to happen). Got in line and were told he’d only be signing one book per.
Got up to the front of the line and he looked up at me, look at my bare arms (I was wearing a tank top) and said “Does your mother know you are tattooed?” with a little smile. Without missing a beat, I said “she’s just happy it matches the charm on my belly button ring.” He laughed pretty hard, and signed two of my books instead of just one.
I met John Scalzi at an online journaling convention back in 2001 (maybe 2000?), but it was before he was a published sci-fi author, so maybe this doesn’t count. He was a cool guy, and gave me a ride to the airport after the convention was over.
I met Jan Guillou after a talk he gave on Saladin. It was a signing, but for some reason, the line to get a book out and the line to the door got mixed up, so for a moment he sat there slightly bemused wondering why no-one was in line. Me and my boyfriend quite literally swooped in, and got our stuff signed, and my boyfriend chatted a bit. I wanted to say something, but my pathological shyness completely stole my voice away, so I just spelled my name when he asked. He was just as nice and arrogant-in-a-good-way as he seems on TV. He joked about “weirdly spelled foreign names” (he’s a swede and he was signing books for norwegians) amd made me laugh, in spite of myself.
I was braver when I met Mike Carey at a small signing. He took the time to chat with everyone, starting conversations himself. He asked me about my accent (near-perfect, but not “native” to any english-speaking place), and told me a story about how he lost his accent when he moved to London, and got hell for it when he went back home. Lovely man. Writes sick and twisted stories, but very nice in real life.
Met Roman Dirge at a signing, briefly, but asking for a spesific character instead of the one he drew for everyone took all my courage, and I slunk away after. I think I surprised him. Maked me cringe, to tell you the truth.
Spoke with Lise Myhre on the same occasion, and got the closest to gushy I’ve ever been (I told her she wrote what everyone thinks, and she was gracious enough to smile and say “Well, that’s a good thing, right?”.
I dont gush, ever. Not because I’m too cool, but because I’m too shy.
Back in the late 90’s, I went to a book signing by the late Robert Jordan. While standing in line, I thought it would be weird just to walk up to him, pay him a bland compliment, get my book signed, and then walk off even though plenty of other folks were doing just that. What followed was a lame attempt at an inquiry about his creative process. I think I gave up after two half-baked questions.
I got the vague impression he was tired of hearing the same questions and comments but outwardly he was polite, and he graciously responded to everyone who chatted him up during the event.
I am reading The Ghost Brigades right now…chock full of Heinlein-y goodness…