# Ever meet an Author? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634 "2009-11-06T20:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/81 "2009-11-09T22:48:00Z")
I’ve also met a handful. I would like to think I did not gush, but I probably did to some extent. I did not with Louis L’Amour, but then again I didn’t know who he was until after I got in an arguement with him. We were talking books, drinking and discussing who the best authors in different types; science fiction, mysteries, etc. When we got to Western fiction, I would not accept any other author at the top of the list except Louis L’Amour and I made that quite clear before he had a chance to get a word in. At that point he slid over some ID on the bar we were standing at showing he was in fact, Louis L’Amour. I then gushed. He just said, “I kind of like your taste.” When I was working at the news desk in Greeley, Colorado and old kind of dumpy guy came up and sat at my desk and just sat there watching. We were on deadline and I basically just ignored him and maintained some sanity in the insanity that is a newspaper coming up against a deadline. He seemed pretty patient and when we had met deadline he started asking me a bunch of questions and we visited. He was James Michner author of South Pacific, Hawaii, Centennial etc. Well, my wife is here, I’ve got to go. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/82 "2009-11-09T23:16:29Z")
James “The Amazing” Randi signed my copy of Flim-Flam! This was way back in the days when CSICOP was just formed. No gushing, just awe. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/83 "2009-11-09T23:17:26Z")
Mine are so obscure that even book people may not have heard of these authors who are friends. **Mike Weaver** , who wrote several very good books (Mercedes Nights, My Father Immortal, Nightreaver, Wolf-Dreams) was a very very good friend of mine, a fellow Kate Bush fan. His life was cut short (he drowned) and his extremely bright promise was snuffed. I’m still hoping that one of these days his books will be back in print. **Kimberly Steele** wrote a self-published (on Lulu) vampire novel for mature teenagers, [Forever Fifteen](http://foreverfifteen.com/). I think her book should have gotten more attention than Twilight. It’s much more interesting. I bought the hard copy, but the audiobook can be [downloaded free](http://www.podiobooks.com/title/forever-fifteen). Kimberly also makes music under the name of [Queenie](http://queeniemusic.com/), and we’re both Happy Rhodes geeks. **Charles de Lint** is also a Happy Rhodes and Kate Bush fan. We’ve never met in person, but he’s a Facebook friend. I “met” him through Mike Weaver. Back in 1988, Charles [reviewed](http://www.plaidworks.com/chuqui/downloads/OtherRealms/20-04.txt) one of Mike’s books, **Mercedes Nights** , for the fanzine OtherRealms. > [@](#): > > Mercedes Nights > > Sometimes in the near future the top vidstar is one Mercedes Night; talented, intelligent and beautiful, everybody wants a piece of her, just as they do the screen goddesses of the present century. Now someone has cloned her. The replicas are prefect and anyone with enough money can own one and do anything they want with her. > > Naturally, the original Mercedes Night isn’t particularly enamoured with what’s going on when she finds out about it. to further complicate matters, those behind the clones plan to use them to disrupt the political and economic structure of this future world. The clones are expendable to them – as it the original Mercedes. And to yet further complicate matters, the clones have such developed personalities that each of them is certain that they’re the original. > > This is Mike Weaver’s second novel (written before the Avon fantasy Wolf-Dreams which came out earlier this year, but appearing later). Unlike Wolf-Dreams, which while it was entertaining, still trod some well-travelled ground, Mercedes Nights is a unique blend of believable extrapolation, strong sympathetic characters, a hard boiled plot that never lets up, and enough ideas to fill a dozen standard novels. like Heinlein at his best, or some of the current writers like William Gibson, Weaver doesn’t spend a lot of time explaining the background. Future tech is simply presented as there while the story move on, leaving the reader to go back and enjoy all those background ideas on their second time through. > > A quick look at the plotline and Weaver’s style of telling the story might leave you with the idea that this is just another cyberflash rip-off, but this simply isn’t so. Mercedes Nights has got the flash, and verve and vigor, too, but it’s got substance as well and this time around Weaver’s not treading any old ground. Behind the striking cover by comics artist Bill Sienkiewicz is one of this year’s most entertaining reads. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/84 "2009-11-10T00:00:06Z")
Many years ago, I went to a cocktail party, where I met one of my favorite authors. The hostess told us he’d said he would only autograph copies of his hard bound books. (He wanted to be sure he’d be compensated for his time) His date was a nearly, naked 13 year old. He was a total ass. I haven’t read anything by him since. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/85 "2009-11-10T13:25:46Z")
I’ve been to a lecture in San Francisco by **Robert Anton Wilson** at something-Con. That was a bit of a Mecca-like experience for me. I think I managed something complimentary as he was wheeled past me on the way out of the room. Also attended a book-signing by **Malcolm Gladwell** and shook hands before he signed my copy of Blink. He’s an interesting fella. Would love to see **Chuck Palahniuk** and **Patrick Rothfuss** in person. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/86 "2009-11-10T14:10:43Z")
This will mean nothing to any of you, but I did get a personal email from knitter/blogger/writer/really nice person, Stephanie Pearl McPhee a few weeks ago. It totally made my day. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/87 "2009-11-10T15:22:13Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Many years ago, I went to a cocktail party, where I met one of my favorite authors. The hostess told us he’d said he would only autograph copies of his hard bound books. (He wanted to be sure he’d be compensated for his time) > His date was a nearly, naked 13 year old. He was a total ass. I haven’t read anything by him since. ☹ Eep. Not to name names, but what genre was he writing? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/88 "2009-11-10T15:37:10Z")
I’m betting bad fantasy, with punny titles, about a world that looks a lot like Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/89 "2009-11-10T17:39:19Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > I met David Sedaris at a reading and book signing just after ‘Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim’ came out. He was pleasant and more charming than I had expected and took time to chat with everyone in line, including my friend and me. He signed 5 books for me, each one different and funny. I was … not ungushy. I had a similar experience. He was most gracious and sincere…and hilarious, obviously! And he gave me a tiny bottle of mouthwash from his hotel as an anniversary present.😛 ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/90 "2009-11-10T19:05:54Z")
Just one. But it was Pearl Buck. Incredibly gracious lady. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/91 "2009-11-10T19:07:30Z")
I’ve met, and had books signed by, Ray Bradbury, Ken Follett, P.D. James, and James Randi. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634/92 "2009-11-10T19:18:38Z")
Many Twin Cities based SF and Fantasy authors. Unfortunately, I don’t read a lot of SF and Fantasy, so, no, I don’t gush. They are friends of friends who show up at my parties and drink my beer. (Not so much anymore than I’ve moved away from that SF Fandom set for the most part. But they used to show up at my parties and drink my beer - ETA, except the late John M Ford and late Gordy Dickson (Dickenson? I told you I don’t read their stuff) - the two of them I used to drop by their houses with a friend who helped them out when they were mostly housebound. Nice guys and never sponged my beer). There are a few cases where they are actually MY friends. Those people I still see and don’t mind if they show up and drink my beer. But for the most part, they are still obscure writers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-an-author/516634.md?page=4)