Hello, and welcome to Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl)! Hopefully I’ll start getting some more reviews up soon, but for today, we have a new topic. It’s supposed to be “Book Events/Festivals Iād Love to Go to Someday” but I don’t think I could come up with very many? So on a (kinda) related topic, I’m going to talk about authors I met at book events (which include signings).
In October 2018 I wrote about Authors I’d Like to Meet Someday (another Top Ten Tuesday Topic) and some of these are on my list!
Sandhya/Lily Menon: Ms. Menon was a speaker at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference last year. I knew she’d be doing one of the keynotes, so I bought When Dimple Met Rishi so I could read it and get it signed. After that, I joined her street team. She lives in Colorado, so I got to go to her book signing for Of Curses and Kisses too.
Bill Konigsberg: He was also a speaker at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference last year. He described his upcoming book, The Bridge, and it put me in tears. I so want to read it.
Kiersten White: Ms. White was one of the authors I listed as an author I wanted to meet. I hadn’t even read any of her books at the time, but I had seen her on Twitter and she was always interesting. She is so funny too! I named a minor character in my book after her, and she was upset it wasn’t a villain, LOL (his name is Piersten because people sometimes accidentally spell her name that way when she goes to book events). And I know she’s judging me for never having watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I don’t watch much TV! Maybe I will watch it someday.
Marie Lu: On March 5th of this year, I got to meet two of the authors on my list of authors I’d love to meet! One of them was Marie Lu. She was gracious enough to sign a whole bag of books for me.
Astrid Scholte: Ms. Scholte was another author I got to meet at the Penguin Teen Tour this year, and was another author I wanted to meet someday! I thought that would never happen because she lives in Australia, but surprise! I did.
Melissa de la Cruz: Ms. de la Cruz was another author I got to meet in March. I hadn’t read a book by her at the time (and I’ve still only read the beginning of The Queen’s Assassin) but I have since read the audiobook of Jo & Laurie (loved it!). I have Alex and Eliza to read too. After watching Hamilton (and my kids are obsessed with the music–I like it too) I want to read that one.
Todd Fahnestock: Mr. Fahnestock was at the Colorado Teen Literature conference and gave one of the presentations. He inspired me to delete about 10,000 words from The Brightness of Shadow (gee thanks). Haha but the 10,000 words I deleted weren’t all that interesting anyway, and the book is close to the querying stage now.
Ginger Scott: Another one of the session presenters at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. If you’re a writer and have the chance, I recommend you go to one of these events. You learn so much.
Tim Ballard: He did an author signing several years ago. I didn’t know at the time, but this guy’s a real hero. He started Operation Underground Railroad, which frees people from slavery.
Eric Metaxis: In this case, it wasn’t exactly an author signing, but he signed a book for me. Mr. Metaxis was giving a presentation and I got to go, and afterwards he signed my book.
So, there’s 10 authors I got to meet, mostly at book signings and events. Until this virus gets under control, we probably won’t be able to go out and meet many more, except virtually, but hopefully sometime next year that can resume.
Next week is a freebie week. Not sure what I’m doing yet. Hopefully I’ll have some book reviews out soon!
I like your twist on this week’s topic–you’ve met so many authors! =)
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Festivals and conventions I want to go to
I’m very lucky š
Great list – am I jealous at all? Of course not! *sideways glance of longing!
My TTT – it’d be gret to see you at the sanctuary!
Once I found out that there was a bookstore in Denver that had authors visit, I stalked their web site :-). It was fun while it lasted… who knows if those days will ever come back.
I had the same idea as you for this week, but we don’t have any authors in common.
In some ways it’s luck which authors you get to meet, unless you have the means to travel.
Okay, I’m super jealous after going through your list š
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday post.
I never thought Colorado got a lot of authors but I guess they do. Eric Metaxis was in Phoenix and Tim Ballard was in Texas though.
Marie Lu! I loved The Kingdom Of Back so much, one of my favourites this year.
Vee_Bookish recently posted…Weird And Wonderful British Bookshops I Want To Visit [when iām not poor and have a car]
When I heard she was going to come to Denver (with Astrid Scholte and Melissa de la Cruz) I was so excited! I might have screamed.
Marie Lu would be a wonderful author to meet.
My TTT .
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Things I Collect
Probably one of my favorite author meetings. Although I was more nervous meeting Kiersten White (perhaps because I was just starting to go to author signings).
Oh, it’s so great that you got to meet all of these authors! I’d love to meet Sandhya Menon and Marie Lu as well!
Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads recently posted…Bookish Activities I Wish Were More Common
Hopefully when this is all over they’ll come to where you are! Although I don’t think Sandhya does many book tours. She mostly does festivals.
It sounds like you’ve had a lot of great experiences! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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I think I know what I’m doing for the freebie topic next week. š Thank you!
Nice! Looking forward to seeing it!
Nice list, that’s awesome you’ve been able to meet so many interesting authors! I think Marie Lu would be awesome to meet. š
Greg recently posted…Tuesday Tagline
She was so nice. I was expecting her to sign a few books, but she was willing to sign an entire cloth grocery bag of books!
Awesome take on the topic!
Thank you!
I wish there were more local bookish events in my area. Thanks for sharing. š
Lauren @ Always Me
š Are there any medium-sized cities nearby? I didn’t know about The Tattered Cover (where most of the book signings in my area are) until a couple years ago. Now I stalk their web site (well not now because of covid) to see who’s coming.
Ah, so many good authors! I am always so eager to meet any of them. (I’ve never met a single author in the flesh!) But ohh, I love that you included Melissa de la Cruz! I love her so much.
So far I’ve only read one book by her (although I own 3) but it was very good, and she’s always so nice on Twitter too!
I hope you get to meet an author you love someday! Unless you’re too nervous, which is understandable.
Wow, you met so many authors! I’d love to meet Sarah J. Maas some day. But I’m super shy so it would probably be really awkward haha.
Soudha Parsan recently posted…Cinderella Is Dead: Book Review + Author Interview
I’m an introvert so… I was so nervous when I started going to book signings. I’m sure you’d do fine (even if you second guess yourself afterwards). Most authors are really nice.