Hey guys, sorry I was away for so long. School started back up and I have to tell you that it was kicking my butt. Not so much school, but work on top of that- and I was just plain exhausted all the time. I had to take September off from the blogging/reading world, but I told myself that I’d be back in October so here I am.
So to start back up, — I have to gush about my first real author experience. I was at the Collingswood Book Festival today and who did I see but Melissa Walker! I know several of you have read her books- I’ve entered a few contests hoping to win them but never lucked out. I confess to be really shy but she was so nice! She signed all of my books- I picked up “Violet on the Runway“, “Violet by Design“, and her newest “Violet in Private“.
I’m sure I’m going to love them! And for those of you following the series, she says her next book will be out in May. I have a surprise though- I bought an extra copy of “Violet in Private” to giveaway to one lucky commenter. And it’s autographed 
All you have to do for a chance to win is comment telling me about your best author experience. If you haven’t had one, tell me what author you’d love to meet! (If you don’t have a blog, make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.) I’ll choose a winner at the end of October- and this contest is open to everybody, not just US and Canada.
Regarding my “First Daughter” giveaway, I’ll be choosing a winner on October 10th, so if you haven’t entered already, you only have a couple more days to do so.
Missed my last post? It was TUESDAY THINGERS
Missed my last review? It was REVIEW: “SWORD” BY DA CHEN
This is so cool. I have heard a lot about this author, but never really got around to read any of her books.
About, author experiences, i have none. I had planned to go to a book signing today, but it was raining so hard, I had to cancel my plans
I would have loved to meet Sidney Sheldon. And I would love to meet Nora Roberts.
Glad to see you back. My only real author experiences have been on line. Too many authors to list have been so nice in emails. I went to get Nicholas Sparks to sign a book this week, but the line was waaaay too long. I think I would like to meet Barbara Kingsolver.
My best author experience is actually with a quilt book author, Retta Warehime, who came to my quilt shop for an event we were having. I was able to spend a pretty good bit of time with her, and I spoke to her about a few ideas I had for a quilt book of my own. She was very helpful and supportive, offering advice about publishers, etc. By the following year, I had a book of my own published, and have since written another that was published this year. I feel like were it not for her encouragement I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to try.
As for authors of novels, I’ve not met that many, but I’d love to meet Cornelia Funke.
tracisharpton (at) msn (dot) com
I think my best author experience has been and still is, was with the ones I have met online. Sandy Patsy of Power of Pussy, Jeri Smith-Ready, C.E. Murphy, and Gregory Frost are all such awesome people. I would love to meet all of them in person.
I would love to be in your contest. I met a author through the Blog Site Petticoats and Pistols her name is Karen Kay she writes native american reads and is full of information. She just happens to me my mother-in-laws favorite author so i contacted her about autographing my mother-in-laws book for her birthday then we just started emailing each other i guess we just clicked. She wrote a beautiful note to her in the book. I have so much respect for this woman she is a world of knowlege and such a kind person I had gotten really sick and she had sent me a email with some things i could do to help lessen my sickness, I mean she is a jack of all trades. Check out her post over there sometime and you’ll know why she’s so special and a author i would love to spend the day with ,it would be her.
photoquest(at)bellsouth(dot)net
I haven’t had any real life interactions with authors yet (although years ago when I worked at a Harvest House Publishers in their sales department I got to meet a few authors, and that was fun).
So far emails and comments on my blog have been the limits of my interactions with authors, but all of those experiences have been great. I love it when an author visits a review of their book that I have written and leaves a comment.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com
My best author experience happened during a summer program I attended in high school . Author John Gilstrap visited my film writing class and talked about his book Nathan’s Run, which was being made into a movie at that time. He was very friendly and even listened to some of the story ideas we were working on in class.
Thanks for the giveaway!
bluebyrd24 [at] gmail [dot] com
I’ve never been lucky enough to meet an author
Time never works out in my favor but if I had the chance i would probably have to say iwould chose James Frey or Augusten Burroughs. – DJLunchlady91404@yahoo.com
Welcome back! I haven’t met any authors, either. They never seem to be where I am. I’ve had many great interactions with them through email, though. If I could choose one to meet, it would probably be Stephen King or Sharon Kay Penman.
I had some great experiences with authors last weekend at a (semi-) local book festival. The best part about it was that I finally got to see and shake the hand of one of my childhood idols – Tamora Pierce. She was really gracious and took time to chat with everybody in line instead of rushing us through. It was a really great experience. Especially since she’s really funny.
Hmm… I’ve never met with an author that I’ve loved. I guess I’d love to meet Shel Silverstein! I love his poems! They’re so funny and nice
bunnybx at gmail . com
Can I tell you how glad I am that you are back? I’ve been so worried about you. I’m glad it’s *just* school.
It sounds like you had a wonderful experience. I haven’t read any of her novels before, but I’d love to give one a try.
I’ve just recently had my favorite author experience with Philippa Gregory!!!!!!!!! I will spare you any more exclamation points, but you can probably tell by the pictures alone that I have been riding on a high ever since.
I would like to meet Lois Lowry or Sharon Creech one day. Sharon Creech was my favorite childhood author. I have never met a famous author before, though I wish for it. One day, hopefully, I will have my own book published… maybe.
I’ve only met one author, but she’s more of a comic book artist. She is a rising popular artist in the manga (Japanese graphic novels) world and I was able to meet her last summer at a convention. To be honest, I was really disappointed in myself because I barely spoke to her. The only reason I even noticed her was that I saw her picture in a newspaper article! Her booth was very plain and it blended in to all of the other shops!
I only got her second book (now I’m regretting I should have tried to get all of what she was selling), but I loved it. I kept reading it over and over that now it’s yellow and fray!
I have never really met an author in real life but I would really like to meet Laurie Halse Anderson because her book “Speak” really inspired me and I just wanna talk to her and see how she comes up with such great stories and ideas!
Hey, nice to see you back.
i’ve met one of my idols, dolatabadi three years or so ago at a concert. he was way cool and i even took pictures! that is he asked me to take pictures of him and the lead dancer!! totally great!
I have never had an autor experience but I wish Id did. I have a few authors I would love to meet and they are: JK Rowling, John Green, Stephanie Meyer, Meg Cabot, and Darren Shan.
flayla14 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I have never met an author:(. It makes me nervous just thinking about meeting an author. I wouldn’t know what to say and I bet you, I would babble. It would be cool to go to a book signing for John Flangan, F. Paul Wilson, Christopher Paolini, Jenny Nimmo, Rick Yancey, and more. To bad most of my favorite authors don’t even live in the US.
TheBookworm
http://www.inthecurrent.blogspot.com
emailthebookworm(at)yahoo(dot)com
I haven’t met any adult authors but I’ve met Jan Brett and Jim Aylesworth and they autographed books for my kids. They were both super nice!
I haven’t met any authors yet. There are many that I would love to meet, but if I had to narrow it down I would say Julia Alvarez and Sharon Creech.
I would love to meet either Stephanie Meyer or Rachel Hawthorne because both are such great authors and I’d really love to get an insight to their minds and ideas behind books.
I met Jamie Lee Curtis at a book signing near my house! She was so nice and had a great sense of humor! LOVE HER!
I’ve never met a “famous” author, but last year I went to Space Camp (yes, it’s a real place and they have programs for adults) with a guy named William Kelly (goes by Bill) who’s written a couple of books. He didn’t mention this until an email after we got home from camp. The books aren’t wonderful, but they’re fun reads if you can get around the overly wordy style. But, I can say that I’ve scuba dived (dove?), done a high and low ropes course, flew F-18 simulators, and spent time in space shuttle, space station and mission control simulators with an author.
The only real live author I have met is my brother-in-law. Lol actually he has written two books
If I could meet an author I would like to meet Dorothea Benton Frank. I just love her books
[...] “Violet in Private” by Melissa Walker- ends 10/31/08 [...]
Great contest and blog Kathleen!!!
I wish I had an favorite author experience, but since all my favorite authors live in the US, I have never met one of them. If I had to pick an author I would really love to meet Meg Cabot and Melissa Walker. Because that are my favorite authors!
Marjolein
I’d love to meet Janet Evanovich. She writes some of the best books.
ayancey@dishmail.net
I haven’t met an author in person yet, but I would really love to meet Sarah Dessen or J.K. Rowling!
leeangeli@yahoo dot com
Oooh! I want to win these!
Oh sorry, I clicked submit before I told my story… Well, I’ve met people who have had books published, but never any whose books I’ve read or even heard of… except for Dan Gutman. He signed my book at an award thing.
[...] October 11, 2008 by kegsoccer Current Giveaway: “Violet in Private” by Melissa Walker- ends 10/31/08 [...]
You were missed! Your grandfather wrote two books, but since they were technical I don’t think you would care to read them. I don’t think I have met any other authors, but once you publish something I’ll be glad to read it and you will become my favorite author.
I’ve only met one author so far, but it was an amazing experience. In September 2007, me and my two friends went to a Stephenie Meyer signing. It was right after Eclipse came out. Stephenie did a Q & A and then signed everyone’s books. There were about 600 people there! It was also the Eclipse Prom theme, so everyone (including me and my friends) dressed up in fancy dresses. Even though we drove an hour to get there, had to wait in long lines twice (once to get wristbands and then to get our book signed) it was so much fun and it was awesome to meet one of my favorite authors!
i would love to meet sarah dessen!
ive always wanted to meet charlotte bronte, but that would be impossible for obvious reasons =)
I’ve never met an author, sadly.
If I could meet someone, it would probably be Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier, ’cause they generally travel together, right?
And if not them, than definitely Sherwood Smith.
ellienchanted (at) gmail.com
I have no author experiences but I like to meet Anthony Horowitz. I love the Alex Rider series.
wow, i would love to be entered in this contest.
i dont have an author experience but if i had a chance, i would definitely go meet stephanie meyer. i love the twilight series!
steph30wang@gmail.com
[...] October 15, 2008 by kegsoccer Current Giveaway: “Violet in Private” by Melissa Walker- ends 10/31/08 [...]
This is soo cool. I haven’t had an author experience yet, but I almost had one. There’s this new author, Sarah Pekkanen, and I was going to write her an email, requesting an interview. But I think I might chicken out, I’m just soo nervous, especially since it’ll be my first, but I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind yet. But you can find out more about her on her website, http://www.sarahpekkanen.com .
=)
TruBlu
I have to say that I have never met an author, I know, it’s sad. If I could meet any author, I think I would have to choose Stephenie Meyer, I think it would be simply amazing to get the chance to meet her.
Love Melissa Walker!
I havn’t met any authors yet but if I had a chance I would LOVE to meet Melissa Walker. I’m not just saying this because the contest is to give away her book. She seems very down to earth and she seems like a great person. I would love to meet her.
I haven’t met many authors yet because I live in the middle of nowheresville, but I think I would love to meet Sarah Dessen, my favorite author. It would be like a dream come true!
kels.m.17@gmail.com
I meet Kathrine Windham Tucker who writes true ghost stories at a talk she gave. Someone in the audience asked her if she REALLY believed in ghost? Her reply ” Yes, they paid for my son’s college education.” I thought that was priceless…:)
How fun!
I actually got a chance to meet John Green. It was so awesome to meet a Printz award winning author, but even better was the fact that he was so down to earth and funny!
My best author moment? Well I’ve traveled quite a bit to met Sherrilyn Kenyon. She’s always great!!! She’s always such fun and Diana Love Snell was with her last time in D.C. and made the wait such a fun time. I swear I forgot to listen for my # to get in line because of playing with Diana.
I love attending RWA events as well.
sounds like a great book, I’d love to have a chance to win it.
WendyK
highlandlovesong at yahoo dot com
http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
I ave yet to meet an author that I read and follow, yet if I could pick, I’d liketo meet “MJ Rose”, “Michael Connelly”, “John Sandford”, “John Gordon”, “Lisa Gardner”, “Jodi Picoult”, oh and so many more!!!
I tell you with the live internet author chats we have available to us, getting to “know” your favorite author’s has become so much more realistic!
I have not started this series yet if I win this book I will eagerly begin, for you have perked up my interest and I love a good series!!!!
Oh, and how great of you to buy a book for your blogges!!!
Thank you,
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com
I got to see Ann Hood speak in the summer, and she was so incredible and inspiring I cried! I don’t know if that counts, because she certainly wouldn’t have noticed me in the crowd, but it was a wonderful “author experience” for me!
Happy Halloween!
Lexi
I just read Violet on the Runway this week and LOVED it- I’d love to win Violet in Private!
Who won? The winner was never announced.
Hello?
Before I post on my blog who has won a contest, I usually contact the winner personally and wait for them to respond. In this case the winner never responded, and I gave them quite some time to do so in order to be fair about it. I will pick another winner sometime soon.