TTT: Imaginary Outings with Authors.

/ beckmank

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.

March 28: Top Ten Authors I’m Dying To Meet / Ten Authors I Can’t Believe I’ve Met  (some other “meeting authors” type spin you want to do)

I’m getting some serious deja vu here, people. I feel like I’ve done a TTT post similar to this before. Ah, yes. Back in May 2015. Well, it’s (almost) two years later and I’ve done my best to make this a fresh and exciting list. (I also stuck with living authors this time around.) There are a few regulars who have popped back in. I have no regrets.

TTT: Author Meet and Greet

I started thinking about authors and what would make me want to meet them. And while there are many authors whose books I enjoy, it turns out that the list of author’s I’d actually like to meet is pretty small in comparison. I follow the majority of this week’s top ten list online in some way — through Facebook, twitter, their blog, or a combination — and so they feel more like “regular people” to me. Like people I could actually carry on a conversation with. Whereas I think with the vast majority of authors I would get stuck after, “Oh my gosh, I *loved* your book!”

Now, if I actually met any of these lovely people, I know I would be a nervous wreck and either be unable to speak, or say something really dumb (a la Chris Farley on SNL’s The Chris Farley Show). If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s my favorite Chris Farley:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-chris-farley-show-mccartney/2868143

Yeah. So that would be me. Anyway…

To lessen the tension and provide ease of conversation, I thought it would be nice to plan an activity to do with each author. Most of our planned outings come from something in their books.

TTT_MeetingAuthors2017

The authors are listed alphabetically, because how do you pick a favorite?!

  • Play cards with Gretchen Archer. I have no idea if Ms. Archer plays cards. But her books are based in a casino, and while I have no desire to play slots for more than a few minutes, I love to play cards. I hope she does too. (Otherwise we are back to awkward silence and inappropriate comments. 😉 )
  • See Lochdubh, Scotland (or the inspiration behind the fictional village) with M.C. Beaton.
  • Visit the Smithsonian with Steve Berry. Or the U.S. Capitol. How about just spend the day in Washington, D.C.?
  • Tour the Stanley Hotel with Stephen King. In the daylight, of course. That place is creepy.
  • Go shopping with Jenny Lawson. Because who knows when you will find the next Beyonce the giant metal chicken.
  • Watch Hamilton on Broadway with Lin-Manuel Miranda. (I kind of snuck that one in there, didn’t I? Hey, he’s an author – of musicals.)
  • Have a glass of wine with Liane Moriarty.
  • Go to a concert at Red Rocks with Rainbow Rowell. I was thinking it would be a band from the ’80s, but really, it could be anything. If you’ve read Eleanor & Park, go check out Ms. Rowell’s Eleanor & Park Playlist. (Warning – spoilers!)
  • Enjoy afternoon tea with J.K. Rowling. I know, 95% of the bookworm population wants this one.
  • Cook a meal with Wendy Tyson. After reading her two Greenhouse Mysteries, I have a feeling she’s a great cook.

Wow! I can’t wait to meet all of these authors! It sounds like we are going to have an amazing time together. I hope they can fit me into their schedule.

NancyDrewSilhouette_650by1000

What about you? What would you want to do when meeting your favorite author(s)? How did you spin this week’s meet and greet topic? Sound off below, and link up to your own TTT if you’ve got one!

26 thoughts on “TTT: Imaginary Outings with Authors.”

    • I re-read the Beyonce saga when I wrote this, oh my gosh that story still makes me laugh out loud! If I ever go shopping with Jenny, I’ll make sure we invite you. 🙂

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    • I’ve actually only met one author before – and it was Steve Berry. 🙂 He came to Denver a couple of years ago for a book talk and signing. He was amazing to listen to. I would love to actually, really meet him. Such a nice guy. His wife was sweet too. I just found the Rainbow Rowell playlist (there’s actually four) yesterday – I love them!

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  8. This is an amazing list!! I love that you planned activities for each author, that’s brilliant. I would absolutely love to meet Jenny Lawson, I feel like we could have so much fun doing ridiculous stuff and totally bond over mental illness and aim to be furiously happy!

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    • Thank you!! Steve Berry actually does have a real life author tour. He does a trip abroad every other year for about a week with a small group of fans and shows them sites from his books. It’s on my bucket list!

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  11. Love your twist on this week’s TTT! I totally agree with the nerves bit! I didn’t like the idea of just meeting the author. I was imagining sitting down over a meal preferably with wine to ease the nerves. I like your idea of special activities better!

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  13. I love this twist! Though…to be honest…I don’t think I’d be able to function this well if I were to meet a favourite author…I’d probably just stand in front of them, clutching one of their books, smiling crazily, too tongue-tied to say or do anything meaningful. 😉

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