Thursday, October 11, 2007

Booking Through Thursday - Meet the Author

This week's BTT question is pretty simple for me. I don't have a very long or complicated answer so here it goes.

I said in August, when we talked about fan mail, that I planned on expanding that to live meetings when the time was right. Well, that time is now!

  • Have you ever met one of your favorite authors? Gotten their autograph?
  • How about an author you felt only so-so about, but got their autograph anyway? Like, say, at a book-signing a friend dragged you to?
  • How about stumbling across a book signing or reading and being so captivated, you bought the book?
Yes, I met Ray Bradbury on a junior high school field trip. We went to see a play of the Martian Chronicles, and he was there. He signed all of our books and spent a great deal of time talking to us about the play and the book. It was a great experience. I know a number of authors so they've signed their books for me as well. My husband is actually a character in a short story one of our friends published.

I don't tend to ask for autographs so I don't have many signed books. The only exception is for my daughter. When she was little, I got a number of books signed for her when I went to teacher conferences.

I have stumbled into book readings and signings (especially at teacher reading conferences), and I do tend to buy the books. I especially loved hearing Eve Bunting talk and bought the whole Black Lagoon children's series after hearing its author speak. I don't tend to buy as many adult books that way, though.

12 comments:

Tami said...

Very good post, I did the same with my children. It seemed to mean more to me!

CJ said...

Ray Bradbury! How cool. So is getting books signed for you daughter. Hopefully she appreciates them.

cjh

pussreboots said...

Sounds like you've had some great author experiences. Happy BTT.

BookGal said...

Tami and CJ - I do think it means more to me.

Puss - I just remembered that I heard Mem Fox speak at a reading conference. She was fascinating. She showed us how one of her books started and got edited and changed to a totally different story. It was great!

Unknown said...

Bookgal -

Thanks for stopping by Bibliophile's Retreat. I remember reading Fahrenheit 451 in jr high or high school, talk about a scary book when you are a book lover like myself. I hope it never comes to that in real life.

Literary Feline said...

Ray Bradbury has been at the L.A. Times Book Festival every year that I've gone, but I have yet to meet or see him. He spoke at my college graduation and was given an honorary doctorate, I remember. Vaguely. My husband remembers that more than I do, I'm afraid.

Daphne said...

I would love to know what Ray Bradbury thinks of some of today's technology that so closely matches what he described in Fahrenheit 451. It really is kinda creepy.

Anonymous said...

I envy you for meeting Ray Bradbury!

alisonwonderland said...

i'd love to hear Eve Bunting and Mem Fox speak!

Anonymous said...

Book signings are something I've actually never done but always want to. I always seem to catch the newspaper a day late and find out I missed meeting someone I really would have loved to see...

BookGal said...

Frost - I agree! Interesting how most people seem to read Bradbury in school and not later.

Literary - I need to go to the LA Times Book Festival. I always chicken out because of the crowds.

Daphne - So would I. I'm not even sure he's still alive.

Gautami - He was really nice considering we were a group of somewhat annoying students.

Alison - They were both great! Very down to earth.

BkClub - I've done that too:)

Dewey said...

Ray Bradbury, wow! It's exciting but intimidating meeting authors. You know how sometimes if you see a movie before reading the book it was based on, you have a hard time not picturing, I don't know, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry or whatever? When I've met authors it's changed the way their books sound in my head. Like once I found out how FUNNY Margaret Atwood is, I always hear her dry, amused tone when I read her books. It adds a lot, really, to the reading experience.