It's a common belief that meeting our heroes will most likely lead to disappointment. (Do you even TFiOS, bro?) There are so many people I admire but I do feel like, as with meeting any human being on any given day, there is the potential to be let down. It's a mixture of us putting a person on a pedestal and that person being a human capable of bad days and angry moods, just like the rest of us.
As an example, I met Colleen Hoover at BookCon 2017. I had watched her speak in a panel and it was wonderful and she took a photo with me and signed my book. But there was a part of me that was sad that it wasn't a more personal experience. And that had nothing to do with her but rather with the circumstances. There had been a line of people before me and there was a line after me, and everything was time regimented. So, yeah, I was a little disappointed. But again, that had nothing to do with her. So in the case of this TTT, I'm picking authors, even those I have been lucky enough to meet at a signing, that I would love to sit down and have a chat with.
1. Adam Silvera
Another author I met at BookCon, Adam Silvera captivated me at the "Write Here, Write Now" panel, where Silvera, E. Lockhart, Jennifer E. Smith, and Leigh Bardugo blew my mind with their honest chat about being an author. Adam Silvera lives with mental illness and is not afraid to go there in his writing, but there is also so much humor and love in his work. I'd love to know more.
2. Sarah J. Maas
How did she create a world (Prythian) that feels so real to me with characters (the Court of Dreams) that feel so real to me? Give me your secrets!
3. Tarryn Fisher
Fisher is outspoken on social media and writes about all the wonderful and ugly sides of life and love. I feel like she has an incredible story and I'd love to meet her and see that strength and vulnerability in person.
4. Christina Lauren
How do two people write one book together so seamlessly over and over? I know Christina and Lauren are not the first or last to do this, but it's perfection.
5. Colleen Hoover
She's mentioned frequently that she's not a romantic person and yet I swoon over her characters. Her writing just keeps growing. She's incredible!
6. Katie Cotugno
Cotugno writes about imperfect characters and complicated relationships and I find it so admirable that she is unapologetic about her "unlikeable" main characters. I wanna talk Molly Barlow with her!
7. Jason Reynolds
I've read, like, 1 and a half books by Reynolds but I find him so intriguing, determined, and passionate about his work that I've purchased nearly all of his books. He is prolific and inspiring.
8. Tahereh Mafi
She's gorgeous, stylish, and she wrote one of my favorite couples of all time (Warner 5ever). That's enough for me, though there's so much more to know!
9. Liane Moriarty
Even if it's just to tell her that Big Little Lies is one of the best books of all time and that is all.
10. Christine Riccio
Okay, so her book isn't out until May, but I'm a huge fan of Polandbananasbooks and I've loved following Christine for the last couple of years as she wrote and sold and eventually will have published her first novel! Even though she's very open about it on her channel, I'm always down to learn more, especially about what the rest of her work entails.
Who is on your Top Ten?
It would be marvelous to meet Jason Reynolds. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my TTT, my book bingo update, and my FraterFest Readathon TBR