Authors you've met in person or had a meaningful interaction with on social media

[Conny]

The results for Poll 2 are in, and unfortunately the suggestion not only didn't make it but was actually downvoted to Bottom, so it cannot be resubmitted.
Still, feel free to continue contributing to this thread, it might still.come in useful as some point; at any rate, it will be a fun way for us to see how many authors we have all met combined :)

[Lieke]

Conny wrote: "The results for Poll 2 are in, and unfortunately the suggestion not only didn't make it but was actually downvoted to Bottom, so it cannot be resubmitted.
Still, feel free to continue contributing..."

:(

[Ellie]

Some people do rejects challenges, so this list might still be useful for them. I always compile a rejects list and never get round to it...

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I think it's a fun list in any case to see the breadth of authors that we have interacted with.

[Bana AZ]

I've emailed with Mark Manson and James Clear. :) I saw E. Lockhart in person but didn't actually meet her.

[Deborah]

I know the following authors Personally:

Gary J. Darby
Rebecca Ethington
Sheena Boekweg
Rick Chiantaretto
Stephanie Fowers

[Tracy]

I came up with more connections that I originally thought I had!

Here we go:

Family:
James Sherwood (my son, self published via Amazon)
Frances Sherwood (my sister-in-law, I've read all her books except the book of short stories and enjoyed them all.)

Book Signings:
Diana Gabaldon
Lisa See (didn't find out until AFTER the signing that her mother was one of my step-mother's best friends in high school in the late 1940s-early 1950s)

Helped With Author Visit to My Kids' School (so all kids/YA books):
Valerie Hobbs
Bruce Hale
Lee Wardlaw

Julia Child (also visited my kids' school for a different reason)

Parents of My Kids' Friends:
Roger Friedland
Charles N. Li
(Read and enjoyed The Bitter Sea: Coming of Age in a China Before Mao - biography of the 1st part of his life. Looking forward to The Turbulent Sea: Passage to a New World — 2nd biography for the rest)

Karina Evans (Kids books. A friend of my son's, who I also met at family camp.)

This one would really be 3rd Degree of Separation for the rest of you, and I'm really just putting it here as are reminder of my 2nd Degree of Separation:
Sue Grafton (Her adult daughter was at the same family camp mentioned above!)

[Rhonda]

I have attended book signings and talked to the following authors.

Brandon Sanderson

Markus Zusak

Colleen Hoover

Lyssa Kay Adams

[Pam]

3 Local New Mexico authors:
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Youth, historical, African American focus)
Reese Hogan (SF, Fantasy, steampunk, thriller?)
Jennifer Bohnhoff (Mid-grade historical fiction)

Ella Schwartz- Young Readers fiction and non-fiction, science topics

Mark Loren - Recently published a 5 book Dystopian series

Ermal Walden Williamson (Westerns)
He has a Brazos series which continues The Cowboys book by William Dale Jennings (the basis for the John Wayne movie).

[Reed]

I’ve met B J Rowling

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I work with Stephanie Fournet, who writes fun romances/rom-coms. I've also met E. Lockhart at a book reading at my library.

[Dubhease]

As a kid, I wrote questions to Joan Clark and she wrote me back (it was an interview by mail).

[Bec]

I chat with Jaci Wheeler via FB messenger regularly - she also writes as Carsen Lane. Is this the type of thing you are thinking?

I have also had email correspondence with Sarah Noffke.
My cousin is married to Angela Yuriko Smith

[chysodema]

My best author interaction was on a cruise with Patrick Rothfuss. I ran into him out on deck and told him I was a huge fan and his book The Name of the Wind was one of my favorites, everyone I had recommended it to also loved it, etc. Then I started to excuse myself, saying I didn't want to make him uncomfortable with my fan-ing. He replied that he doubted I could make him uncomfortable. I asked if that was a challenge and he invited me to try. I began cooing about how much I loved him and trying to pet his beard. He started laughing but backing away and asking me to stop. Good times.

I met Francesca Lia Block at a book signing when I was in high school, and she was just as magical and wonderful as her beloved Weetzie Bat series would lead you to imagine.

Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket was rude to me at a concert one time. I think his mom might also be friends with my mom but we had never met before the unfortunate concert event.

Oh and I just remembered Jennifer Donnelly is the only author I have ever written fan email to, and she wrote back a lovely note. This was years ago, and I was smitten with her book The Winter Rose.

[NancyJ]

Lizzy wrote: "Bill Clinton
T.C. Boyle

The first -- knew when I was in college.
The second -- from a book signing.

I'm sure I'll have more, but have to think about it."


I met Bill Clinton when he was running for president. He was speaking at my college. I really liked his first thriller.

[Roxana]

ok, let's see who I can remember...


Roya Dedeaux - she's my sister!

Elana Arnold - know personally

Naomi Novik - livejournal friends from back in ye olde fanfic days

Adib Khorram - chatted with online multiple times, in person once, & realized our dads grew up together, if that counts for anything, heh

Grace D. Li - chatted with briefly at a signing

Allison Saft - chatted with briefly at a signing

Sarah Kuhn - chatted with briefly at a signing, + online a few times

Brian Jacques - chatted with briefly at a signing

Neil Gaiman - chatted with briefly at a signing

Ray Bradbury - book signing <3

Lin-Manuel Miranda - chatted with briefly at a stage door autograph signing moment post-In the Heights

Alyssa Cole - online conversation

C.L. Polk - online conversation

Alison Cochrun - online conversation

Alexis Hall - online conversations

Alix E. Harrow - online conversation

Zen Cho - online conversation

Yangsze Choo - online conversation (she complimented my baking!)

Sarah Gailey - online conversations

Maggie Tokuda-Hall - online conversations

G. Willow Wilson - online conversations

Jonny Sun - online conversations

Dana Schwartz - online conversations

Connie Willis - chatted at a conference

Jane McGonigal - worked a conference she spoke at & helped at her talk, played some games & conversed with her at the event, & online conversations

Tad Williams - took a writing workshop from him, + book signings & online chitchat

Hollay Ghadery - online conversations / IG mutuals

Olivia Dade - online conversation

Daniel M. Lavery - online conversations

Nicole Chung - online conversation

Chloe Angyal - online conversations

Erica Waters - online conversation

Rosiee Thor - online conversation

Meryl Wilsner - online conversation

Diana Urban - online conversation

Tessa Dare - online conversation

Paul Krueger - online conversations + conference book signing

Marvin Carlson - took a class from him

Mohammad Kowsar - my MA thesis advisor <3

Lilah Sturges - online conversations & chatted after a conference event

Noelle Stevenson - online conversation

Kat Leyh - chatted after a conference event

Jo Walton - online conversation

Neda Maghbouleh - online conversations

Clive Thompson - online conversations

Emily Nussbaum - online conversations


That's all I've got for now, I think. Not even getting started on most nonfiction or children's books, I know I've missed a few friends & a lot of signings/twitter chats, but I'll come back and add to this if I think of more.

EDIT: I forgot I did this last year! So there are some additions, but my previous post was a helpful reminder, heh.

[Mandy]

Exchanged a couple of emails with Maggie Shayne back in college in the 90s.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

°~Amy~° wrote:But wait, you MET Buzz Aldrin? Like, breathed the same air as him? So jealous! *fangirling*."

Not that hard- he has done ALOT of public appearances over the years. In 1994 for the 25th anniversary of the moon landing, I was an intern at the Air & Space Museum and since interns are expendable, I was given the job of escorting Neil Armstrong Aldrin, and Collins (this one: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) around for 2 days while they did their rounds. I was most dazzled by Collins cause he was also a former director of the museum and so was full of stories.

At that job I also got to meet Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, Alan Shepherd, Alan Bean, George Lucas, SPIELBERG Steven -, Carrie Fisher, Jerrie Cobb, Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin. So many other ones over the years-- if you want to meet famous people, I recommend museum work. You also meet lots of historians working on books, so I'm a good source if you want to read a book by a non-famous writer related to aviation or World War I, there's a chance I've worked with them on a lecture or during their research.

My big one is I sold girl scout cookies to Katherine Hepburn- her sister was a neighbor. I complained to my mom that Mrs Grant's sister was grouchy.

Other ones:

Luanne Rice
Nathaniel Philbrick
Grace Paley
Alan Garganus
Alice Walker
Tom Crouch
Lonnie G. Bunch III
Michael J. Tougias

Oh- and after a signing in the 90s, we took Nick Hornby to a bar where he could watch a Champions League game. My copy of About the Boy just has a really cool inscription, but I told him the Fever Pitch copy belonged to a Man U fan and as the evening went on, he kept adding more pro-Arsenal notes to it. My friend said he never knew if he should be upset his copy was covered with the enemy team name or should be proud it was a graffitied by the author copy. It's been 20 years, I should ask him again. He might have calmed down. Or burned it.

[Sheena]

I think the only author I've met and spoken to in-person is Max Brooks.

On social media, I'm had short DM convos with Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and had comment convos with Maggie Stiefvater and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Alina Adams is the author of a very good historical novel, The Nesting Dolls, set mostly in Ukraine in the 1940's -70's. She was offering to speak free on Zoom to groups during the pandemic, so a local group I am in arranged that in January 2022. The book is based on her own family's experience and she was delightful talking about what it was like to move here at age 7 and adapt to American culture. This was before the war but I'm sure she would have some things to say about it.

[Misty]

What a fun thread. I know a few authors:
Cynthia Swanson, Delilah S. Dawson, Elle Lothlorien, and Sue Baer.

I also had a lovely discussion with Gina Otto when she did a reading of her fantastic children's book Cassandra's Angel with our La Leche League group many years ago.

[°~Amy~°]

Angela Roquet, author of Graveyard Shift (Lana Harvey Reaper's Inc. series) and other urban fantasy style books is currently writing a story about my cat that passed away last year. Her character Lana will be escorting him over the rainbow bridge. I'd say that counts as a meaningful interaction with an author. :)

[Conny]

Lailah wrote: "My best author interaction was on a cruise with Patrick Rothfuss. I ran into him out on deck and told him I was a huge fan and his book The Name of the Wind was one of my favorites, everyone I had recommended it to also loved it, etc. Then I started to excuse myself, saying I didn't want to make him uncomfortable with my fan-ing. He replied that he doubted I could make him uncomfortable. I asked if that was a challenge and he invited me to try. I began cooing about how much I loved him and trying to pet his beard. He started laughing but backing away and asking me to stop. Good times. "

Hahahahaha :D

[Conny]

So the results for the poll are in, and despite all the positive feedback I've gotten for the idea in the discussions and the numerous participants in this thread, the prompt has been downvoted all the way to the bottom again :(

Please keep your suggestions coming, though, and I will try to rephrase the prompt for next year in a way that may not lead to an automatic downvote by the people who (apparently) only vote without reading the threads and may not be aware of this thread here.

I still believe in this prompt and I hope that one day it will make it :D

[Ellie]

I started a listopia:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

If anyone interested in this prompt can add their votes, then I can carry on updating it. I started working from the top of this thread but soon realised I would run out of votes so some are cherrypicked names from further down.

[Deborah]

Ellie wrote: "I started a listopia:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

If anyone interested in this prompt can add their votes, then I can carry on updating it. I started working f..."

I think this is a great idea. I am new to the group and haven't added a list here yet, but looked at the list.

I voted on three that I have also met and am going to add some other authors that I have met, but I just realized that I have over a hundred.

[Jennifer W]

I've been to a couple of author talks, but I am far too shy to actually go up and say anything to someone!

I went to college with Demitria Lunetta.

I went to high school with Angela B. Chrysler.

I have copies of books by both of them, but I haven't ever read them!! Shame, shame.

I was in a group read with Andrew Davidson here on goodreads years ago when we read his book The Gargoyle. It was a very cool experience to read a book with the author who wrote it, and he was very good about not telling us what he wanted the book to say and letting us determine what the book was saying to each of us.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Jennifer W wrote: "I've been to a couple of author talks, but I am far too shy to actually go up and say anything to someone!

I went to college with Demitria Lunetta.

I went to high school with [a..."

Ooo- I've been looking for an excuse to read The Gargoyle!

I'll join you in the room of shame for not reading books by authors you know. Luanne Rice is the aunt of a coworker at my last job (she just did an exhibit of her art collection there, so the relationship is now in the public sphere) and I saw her almost once a week and yet, didn't read one of her books! And we would discuss books all the time, I kept planning to tell her one week I had read one of her books but then I got rescued with a new job and left!

[Robin H-R]

I met Donald Rumbelow when I went on his Jack the Ripper walk in London in 2004. Have a pic with him somewhere.
The Complete Jack the Ripper

[Jennifer W]

Robin wrote: "I met Donald Rumbelow when I went on his Jack the Ripper walk in London in 2004. Have a pic with him somewhere..."

Oh, that reminds me, when I was a little girl, "Maria" from Sesame Street gave a talk locally, and I went up and hugged her and have a picture of it somewhere, too, which is impressive, cause I was even more shy as a kid! She had a book out not too long ago... I can't remember what it was called (or what her real name is), but that would fit within the degrees of separation.

Pamela wrote: "Ooo- I've been looking for an excuse to read The Gargoyle!

LOVE The Gargoyle! Highly recommended.

[Nike]

I've met Marilyn French but apart from her I've only met Swedish authors and I don't no whether or not their books've been translated into English. But I will add Marilyn French to the list anyhow.

[Thomas]

Terry Jones Simon Peaple

[Denise]

In person, I met:
Liza Palmer, when she was promoting The Nobodies. She was hilarious and open to answering our questions and shared a lot of stories

In person, I saw/heard:
Ann Napolitano
Diane Marie Brown
Rebecca Makkai
Shelby Van Pelt
Kim Fu

Online:
A friend knows Yangsze Choo and she came to a book discussion
I invited Abbi Waxman to a discussion of her book The Garden of Small Beginnings and she came and talked about the book! So gracious (and funny)

[LeahS]

I know Geraldine McCaughrean.

[John]

I have talked to Pat Conroy and Brian Panowich. In fact, the latter lives in my town.

[Dixie]

I might remember more and if so, will add later.
Mary Stewart
Susan Cooper
Anne McCaffrey
Jasper Fforde
Madeline L'Engle
Eleanor Cameron
Ronald Rood
Kennett Lehmann
Pamela Aidan
Armin Shimerman
John Cleese
Patrick Stewart
Kaaren Kitchell
Richard Beban
Maria von Trapp
Peter Harrison

authors in the animal behavior/training world
Karen Pryor
Suzanne Clothier
Patricia McConnell
Nicole Wilde
Ken Ramirez
Roger Abrantes

[John]

I forgot that I also corresponded with Lee Smith regarding a typo I found in Guests on Earth.

[Tracy]

I thought of a few more. They won't add greatly to the list of books available to read (if we ever use this), but one of them might just be THE book someone wants to read.

I happen to live in a place with a lot of celebrities, so on occasion, we run into them. These are 3 I encountered roughly 29 years ago (OMG, I had no idea it was that long ago until I calculated...)

Rob Lowe (primarily memoirs)
He and I were the only people in a surgical waiting room for about an hour — he for his wife, me for my husband. I didn't talk to him, to allow him his privacy, but I really wanted to. He and I are the same age, and his Brat Pack era was big when I was in college, so I had been a big fan!

Whoopi Goldberg (adult non-fiction, and middle grade fiction)
& Susan M Love (women's health books)
When I was pregnant with my 2nd son we went to dinner at a small restaurant in the mountains that used to be a stage coach stop. We were seated in a small room with just 5 tables. Whoopi's table was next to mine. Whoopi "blessed" my unborn son. The whole room ended up becoming one big dinner party, which is how I found out that Susan Love (well known surgeon and breast health advocate) was a the larger table in the room with friends.

[Thomas]

Caroline Lawrence

[Sibylle]

Caroline Wahl
Arno Strobel
Abbas Khider
Sebastian Fitzek

Met them (or talked on the phone) through work.