If you could have lunch with any author (dead or alive), who would it be and where would you meet?

[Charissa]

I would like to have lunch with Amy Harmon so I could ask how she gets her brilliant plots. We'd eat at Cheesecake Factory and stay long so we could eat dessert.

[A.L.]

Just one? That's kind of a tough choice. Alistair MacLean? William Shakespeare? But I think I'm going to go with Dick Winters, and we'd meet at a nice cafe in Bastogne, Belgium, and he could tell me all about the siege there during the Battle of the Bulge. (He's narrowly beating out E.B. Sledge, because I'm betting I'd like the food in Belgium better than in Okinawa.)

[Jeffrey]

CS Lewis. I think he'd be absolutely fascinating.

[Charissa]

A.L. wrote: "Just one? That's kind of a tough choice. Alistair MacLean? William Shakespeare? But I think I'm going to go with Dick Winters, and we'd meet at a nice cafe in Bastogne, Belgium, and he could tell m..."

I don't know. Fresh sushi in Okinawa might be worth it (unless you hate fish)

[Charissa]

Jeffrey wrote: "CS Lewis. I think he'd be absolutely fascinating."

He would be awesome. I love everything he's ever written.

[Paul]

Mormon would be a great choice for me; more recently, I would probably go with a historian like Gordon W. Prange or Bruce Catton. (And my wife and I have had lunch before with A. L. Sowards and her husband, so that entry on the bucket list is already crossed off.) ;)

[Melanie]

Definitely Jane Austen. Then I could just bask in her wit while eating scones and drinking (herbal) tea at some London tea shop.

[James]

Ray Bradbury, J. K. Rowling, or Charles Dickens. Probably at Iver's in Seattle or on the deck at my childhood home in northern Idaho. Lunch would have to be like three hours long though and we'd have to get together every year after that. Is that too much to ask...?

[Charissa]

Paul wrote: "Mormon would be a great choice for me; more recently, I would probably go with a historian like Gordon W. Prange or Bruce Catton. (And my wife and I have had lunch before with A. L. Sowards and her..."

Good choice. And I'll have to try to link up with A.L. Sowards as well as we email all the time. Lunch would be even better.

[Charissa]

Melanie wrote: "Definitely Jane Austen. Then I could just bask in her wit while eating scones and drinking (herbal) tea at some London tea shop."

Fun!

[Charissa]

James wrote: "Ray Bradbury, J. K. Rowling, or Charles Dickens. Probably at Iver's in Seattle or on the deck at my childhood home in northern Idaho. Lunch would have to be like three hours long though and we'd ha..."

3 hours doesn't sound like much when you're talking about authors like them.

[Paul]

I have another one: Timothy Ballard, the author of "The Lincoln Hypothesis" and "The Washington Hypothesis." For lovers of American History, if you want to see the hand of God at work, read these two excellent books.

The Lincoln Hypothesis: A Modern-day Abolitionist Investigates the Possible Connection between Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and Abraham Lincoln
The Washington Hypothesis

[A.L.]

Paul wrote: "I have another one: Timothy Ballard, the author of "The Lincoln Hypothesis" and "The Washington Hypothesis." For lovers of American History, if you want to see the hand of God at w..."

Are you trying to make my to-read list longer?

[Robyn]

I read The Covenant, Lincoln and the War by Timothy Ballard and it opened my understanding about a lot of issues surrounding the Civil War. I don't know if this has much to add to the other, but I suspect it is well worth reading.

[Paul]

Yes, A.L., your list should include both of those books. (Sorry, I know we both get a lot of recommendations, but these are must-reads.)

Robyn, the Washington book is every bit as good as the Lincoln book, and your appreciation for the Divine Hand in the battles of the American Revolution will flourish.

[Joseph]

Would it be someone that was primarily an author?

[A.L.]

Joseph wrote: "Would it be someone that was primarily an author?"

Anyone who wrote a book, short story, or poem counts.

[Laura]

Washington Irving, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder

[Charissa]

Laura wrote: "Washington Irving, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder"

I'd want to join you with Laura Ingalls Wilder

[Joseph]

Fiction authors: Gerald N. Lund or Chris Heimerdinger

[Laura]

Charissa, right on! Back in the days before the Church leadership specified that temple work could only be done for family members, my grandma sent her name in to have her work done. 😬

[Joseph]

For non-fiction:
Of Course,

Thomas S. Monson

[T.K.]

I know this is kind of an old thread, but I'm new here and thought maybe I could liven things up a bit. :)

I'd love to have lunch with J. R. R. Tolkien! I don't know if we would necessarily even talk about writing-related things, he just sounds like a great person in general. His family is invited too!

And I think it would be a lot of fun to have a picnic on the grounds of Oxford, because I think that campus is beautiful.

[Silver - Have a great day, you're loved]

Ooh, a picnic sounds good. I would probably want to have one at a park where I grew up with Laura Hollingsworth, author of The Silver Eye webcomic, because her plots are so intricate and filled with the characters' emotions that I need to know her secrets. (Also, I'd love to know how it ends. ;D)

[T.K.]

Oh, I know Laura! She's super nice. And her illustration and storytelling skills are incredible!

[Silver - Have a great day, you're loved]

As in, you know her works or you know her as a person? Because if it's the latter, I may explode in joyous sparkles.

[T.K.]

I know her as a person--not in real life, but online. We've networked on a few social media sites. Her sister commissioned an illustration from me of young Apen, which is how I got to know Laura and her work. :)

[Silver - Have a great day, you're loved]

*explodes into joyous sparkles*

[T.K.]

Haha, you predicted correctly! :)

[Paul]

Paul wrote: "I have another one: Timothy Ballard, the author of "The Lincoln Hypothesis" and "The Washington Hypothesis." For lovers of American History, if you want to see the hand of God at w..."

Timothy Ballard's story is the subject of the file, "The Sound of Freedom" that has been a box office smash this summer. That makes me want to meet him even more.

[Chad]

Jk Rowling

[Audrey]

C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, Brandon Sanderson

I did get to have dinner with Michael J Sullivan, so that's one dream come true.