Top 10 Teen/YA Authors You'd Like To Meet!

[Robyn]

I hope that my cross posting this question isn't offensive...trying to get some ideas beyond my personal taste!

I have been honored with the job of lining up and contacting Teen/YA Authors for the largest Children's Book Festival in the country. The Orange County Children's Book Festival is introducing it's first ever Teen Stage! The even is in sunny SoCal - one day only (October 3rd) - 24,000 attended last year's event!

OK - back to my original question - I have been talking to lots of great authors - but - I want YOUR thoughts...

Who would be on your Top Ten List of Authors you would love to meet?

...and remember that this needs to be a fairly well-rounded group - chicklit - guylit - reality - paranormal - fiction - nonfiction - graphic novels...you get the picture!

Robyn Hawk
@ReadingItAll
http://booksreadingitall.blogspot.com/

OC Children's Book Festival, Teen Stage Coordinator
http://www.kidsbookfestival.com/
follow us at: @kidsbookfest
http://www.facebook.com/OCCBF

[Kandice]

Neil Gaiman, and he seems pretty happy about doing appearances.

[Angela Sunshine]

I second Neil Gaiman! Laurie Halse Anderson, Neal Shusterman, Suzanne Collins, Lisa McMann, Scott Westerfeld and Kristin Cashore would also be on my list.

[Robyn]

I love Neil and have chatted with him several times on Twitter...he isn't available and we can't afford the travel expenses - that is why JK Rowling is also a no.

Don't no why I forgot Neal Shusterman...the really difficult part is making sure I don't end up with only vampire authors (authors who write vampire stories not authors who are vampires ;-p)

[Angela Sunshine]

Robyn wrote: "I love Neil and have chatted with him several times on Twitter...he isn't available and we can't afford the travel expenses - that is why JK Rowling is also a no.

Don't no why I forgot Neal Shuste..."

I know Lisa McMann lives in Mesa, AZ, so maybe she's easier on the checkbook?
Sara Zarr and Shannon Hale live in Utah.
Becca Fitzpatrick and Lauren Myracle are in Colorado. Sherman Alexie lives in Washington.
C.J. Omololu ("Dirty Little Secrets"-really good!) lives in Northern California.
Jeanne DuPrau lives in San Francisco.
Just trying to think of more "local" authors!

Please please PLEASE get Neal to come! :-) He's doing a panel this weekend for L.A. Times Festival of Books, but I found out too late to get to hear him.

[Capillya]

Wish I could go -- but I'd love to meet Courtney Summers, Maggie Stiefvater, and Daisy Whitney (debut author).

[Usako]

Cameron Dokey did the fairy tale retellings which were cute. Catherine Gilbert Murdock is awesome!

[Brenda]

I second Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Is John Boyne out of the question for the checkbook?

[Andrea]

I second Maggie Stiefvater, I would also love to meet Kristen Cashore, Sarah Dessen, Ann Brashares!, and Ally Carter.

And I've met Shannan Hale and she's a great author to meet! Very friendly and loves to chat.

[Denise]

I would love to meet Suzanne Collins and Scott Westerfeld. They must have some interesting thoughts zinging around their heads. :)

[Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms)]

Cassandra Clare
Maggie Stiefvater
Julie Kagawa
Becca Fitzpatrick

[Ottilie]

I feel like this list keeps growing!
laura faria stolarz, sarah dessen, holly black, libba , Andrea Cremer, and a couple of the authors I talk through here since they seem pretty cool :) though there are several others i would love to add >_<

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Of the authors I have met I would tell you that these ones are the most awesome and personable:

- Laurie Halse Anderson
- Libba Bray
- David Levithan
- Meg Cabot
-Maggie Steifvater
- Gayle Forman
- Lauren Oliver

YA authors are really amazing. I've met a lot of adult authors too but...they never seem as friendly and excited as the YA authors!

[Robyn]

I agree Jamie - there is an energy from YA authors...love it!

[Robyn]

BTW - if you are in the SoCal area - the Teen & YA Stage this year features:

10:00 am Tween Lit - "NEW In-Be-Tween" Panel:
Gitty Daneshvari (Moderator) - School of Fear Series
Greg Taylor - Killer Pizza Series
Helen Stringer - SpellBinder and Midnight Gate
Greg van Eekhout - Kid vs Squid and The Boy At The End Of The World
Mark Jeffrey - Max Quick

11:00 am PJ Haarsma - The Softwire
Frank Beddor - Looking Glass Wars Series - Hatter M Graphic Novels

11:30 am Lisi Harrison & Garret Sander, Designer, Mattel - Monster High Books & Dolls!

11:45 am Holly Goldberg Sloan - I’ll Be There

Noon Teen Lit - “Keeping It Real” Panel:
Heidi Kling (Moderator) Sea - Visitors Guide To Mystic Falls
Jessi Kirby - Moonglass
Lindsey Leavitt - Sean Griswold’s Head and Princess For Hire Series
Kirsten Hubbard - Like Mandarin
Andrew Smith - Marbury Lens and Stick

1:00 pm Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan (The Fug Girls) - Spoiled

1:15 pm DJ MacHale - Monster Princess - Morpheus Road Series

1:30 pm Kailin Gow - Premiere of NEW Series - Fire Wars

1:45 pm Kami Garcia Reading Beautiful Chaos - Signing Beautiful Creatures/Beautiful Darkness

2:00pm Teen Lit - “Paranormal Tendencies” Panel:
Emma Michaels (Moderator) - The Thirteenth Chime and Anasazi
Inara Scott - Delacroix Academy
Cindy Pon - Kingdom of Xia Series
Jeff Mariotte - Dark Vengence
Gretchen McNeil - Possess

2:45 pm Hope Larson - Mercury (Graphic Novel)

3:00 pm Lisa Desrochers - Personal Demons and Original Sin

3:15 pm Katie Alender - Bad Girls Don’t Die - From Bad To Cursed

3:30 pm Heather Brewer - The Slayer Chronicles (Penguin)

3:45 pm Nancy Holder - Chicks Kick Butt - Damned (Crusade Ser.) - Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chron.)

4:00 pm Amber Benson - Calliope Reaper Jones Series 1-3

[J.D.]

I've always wanted to meet Phillip Pullman, seems like a fascinating kind of brain.

[Robyn]

Me too Pullman and Patrick Ness...

[Al]

Neil Gaiman
Rick Riordan
Adam Rex
Stephen Chbosky
Louise Rennison
Malorie Blackman
Simone Elkeles
Mark Haddon
Siobhan Dowd
Alex Flinn

[L.W.]

Neil Gaiman for sure, Mark Zusak, Suzanne Collins, Lewis Carrol, Llyod Alexander, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, Judy Blume, Orson Scott Card

[Tony]

Neal Shusterman would be cool! I'd love to meet John Marsden, one of my influences for writing YA.

Mary Norton (if I could time travel) for introducing me to one of my first books, "Bedknob and Broomstick" and infecting me with a love of reading ever since.

[Karis (YA Litwit)]

I just met Neal Shusterman for the first time at Decatur Book Festival and was a fangirl mess! He was fantastic! Libba Bray is always brilliant when she presents, as is David Levithan. Maureen Johnson was at DBF this year and was hilarious and drew an enormous crowd (probably the biggest Teen draw of the festival, including David Levithan). John Green would be awesome (yes, I'm a Nerdfighter!). Also, Holly Black, Cassie Clare, Ellen Hopkins. I saw Lauren Oliver the other night and she's always great. LOVES her fans. Heather Brewer was at DBF as alast minute add-on, and she was great. Also, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, who live in LA, are great presenters.

[Karis (YA Litwit)]

Robyn wrote: "BTW - if you are in the SoCal area - the Teen & YA Stage this year features:

10:00 am Tween Lit - "NEW In-Be-Tween" Panel:
Gitty Daneshvari (Moderator) - School of Fear Series
Greg Taylor - Kille..."

GREAT group you have coming! Wish I lived closer!

[L.W.]

Neil Gaiman without a question of a doubt!

[Tony]

Karis (YA Litwit) wrote: "I just met Neal Shusterman for the first time at Decatur Book Festival and was a fangirl mess! He was fantastic! Libba Bray is always brilliant when she presents, as is David Levithan. Maureen J..."

Meeting Neal Shusterman would be so cool! I'd be a fan-boy mess as well, UNWOUND was the best book I've read in two years!

[Kayla]

Beth Revis
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Ruta Sepetys
Stephanie Perkins
Jennifer Donnelly
Andrea Cremer
Kelley Armstrong
Brenna Yovanoff

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (amazing young writer who published her first book when she was only 15!)

Clive Barker (I know he mainly writes books for adults, but I love his Abarat series, and the artwork he does for those books are incredible. I'd love to hear him talk about his work on that project)