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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten authors I REALLY want to meet

This is my first attempt at participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a blog hop for book and book related blogs. While I am not book related, I do love to read, and I have recently acquired a taste for blog hops.

This week's theme is Top Ten Authors I REALLY want to meet. Because some of my favorites are sadly not with us anymore, I broke my list down into two parts: 7 authors I hope to meet someday, and 3 authors that I hope to meet someday on another plane of existence.
Here we go (in no particular order):

Gerald Morris
The author of the Squire's Tales series, he is one of my favorite people. Not just because of his writing, but also because his stories are so full of empathy, and genuine love for the legends he adapts. I think we would have a lot of Arthurian nerdiness to talk about. I emailed with him briefly on behalf of a book festival a couple of years ago, and he seemed very friendly and fun.





Marissa Meyer
I only recently discovered her Lunar Chronicles series, and it was love at first read. Those books are a storyteller's dream (how many books do Easter eggs for fairy tale fanatics?!). She is very active on social media and seems like a nice person. There is a lot of love for her from the fandom, and she appreciates it.

Neil Gaiman
Yeah, I know, me and another three million people. I actually met him once, and we had lunch together with the Storytelling department at ETSU when he was on the Unchained Tour. He was very friendly and polite, and a great storyteller. I was so incredibly star-struck that I completely forgot to ask him to sign the book that was in my purse the entire time! My dad will never let me live that one down. I'm waiting for a second chance.

Christopher Moore
Lamb is probably one of my top 3 favorite books ever. And that's saying something, if you look at my Goodreads page... I went to his book signing in Ann Arbor last year, and he was both friendly and hilarious. I love that he mixes comedy with some serious research in pretty much all of his books. Also, he does Trickster right.

Bernard Cornwell
Also a recent discovery of mine, and I devoured all of his Saxon Stories series within a month. Since historical fiction is my home turf, I would love to meet with someone who does it so well, and takes it so seriously.

Bill Willingham
The author of Fables, my favorite comic book series. Another person that understands and appreciates the nature of stories, and adapts folk and fairy tales in all kinds of awesome ways. I really just want to have a conversation with him about stories over a cup of coffee or something.

Cory O'Brien
He just recently published his second book, but I have been following his blog for years now. Cory is the crazy genius behind Better Myths, a blog that re-tells mythology and legends in ways that will make you laugh until you turn purple. He is also the culprit behind the Internet-famous Norse Crisis Flowchart. My goal is to organize a MythOff one day and invite him as a featured teller.





Planned for the Afterlife:

Mark Twain
Since I have read pretty much every word he's ever written, it would only be fair to finally talk to the guy. Also, I would love to hear some of his mantelpiece bedtime stories.

Michael Ende
My first childhood reading love. Both Momo and The Neverending Story are on my top bookshelf with the classics (and yes, I hated The Neverending Story movies with a passion, because I only saw them after reading the book 10+ times) (also, they are horrible).

Mary Renault
Another role model for me. The proof that you can be a female author in historical fiction without having to do "historical romance" all over the place. She deals with some hardcore things in her books, and applies a lot of empathy and subtle humor to Greek history. Her The King Must Die is a masterpiece, and it was hugely responsible for me going into archaeology. Someone should turn it into a movie, like, right about now.

22 comments:

  1. I like how you did some for the afterlife. I got to meet Marissa Meyer last year and she was sweet.

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  2. Yay! I'm so glad you jumped in this week! I keep hearing people talk about Neil Gaiman. I need to grab one of his books and give him a try. My TTT

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  3. Mark Twain and Mary Renault would be so on my list too. Thanks for the recos on the other authors, will have to check them out.

    'I have recently acquired a taste for blog hops' made me smile :-)


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  4. Bernard Cornwell and Neil Gaiman are also on my list and Mark Twain would be so interesting.

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  5. I still haven't read the Lunar Chronicles, but I own the first 3 & really want to. My husband's favorite book is Lamb. He keeps trying to get me to read it, but I told him not until he reads one of my suggestions :) Great list! Welcome to TTT!

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    1. Thank you! This is a lot of fun. I'll do it again next week! :) And Lamb IS a great book. But you are right, tit for tat ;)

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  6. What a lovely blog you have. Thank you for visiting my Top Ten Listearlier.

    Your list is highly interesting, some of them I know and wouldn't mind meeting them, either, like Christopher Moore, others I have never heard of before, so will have to go and explore.

    Thank you for your comments. Talk to you again soon,
    Marianne from
    Let's Read

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  7. Oh no - that's totally the kind of thing I would do if I were ever to meet Neil Gaiman! I hope you get the chance to meet him again! I keep meaning to start the Lunar Chronicles, I hear so many good things about them. x

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  8. I'm so jealous that you got to meet Neil Gaiman! He indeed is an amazing story teller and I think many of us would find it fascinating to hear him talk about his writing process and such :)

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  9. I'm so jealous that you got to meet Neil Gaiman! He indeed is an amazing story teller and I think many of us would find it fascinating to hear him talk about his writing process and such :)

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  10. Neil Gaiman was pretty popular this week. I wouldn't mind sitting down with him and discussing how he comes up with such interesting ideas for book. Great list!

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  11. I've read the first of the Lunar Chronicles, I need to finish those up. Cinder was fantastic. Great list! You have some authors on here I don't know, I'll have to check them out. Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday. :)

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  12. I didn't even think about Neil Gaiman! I've only read Coraline, but have been wanting to begin a few of his other works as well. He seems like he would be a very interesting person to talk to. I hope you get to see him again someday!

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  13. Great picks! Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  14. Marissa Meyer is amazing! Thanks for visiting my TTT!

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  15. Most of your choices are authors I've never read, but have always wanted to!! I've got to get on that!! thanks for the visit!!

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  16. I loved Gerald Morris' books so much that I actually wanted to write a play version of one of them when I was in high school. I emailed him about it and he wrote back--such a nice guy! The play didn't end up happening, but I treasure the conversation we had.

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    1. I know right?! And the play sounds fantastic! I love reading those books over and over again. I would love to see a play based on one of them!

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  17. I had Neil Gaiman and Marisa Meyer on my list as well! great TTT post this week!
    www.wholly-books.com

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  18. I haven't read Lamb yet, but it's been on my list for a while. It sounds so hysterically irreverent. I bet Moore is great.

    C.J.
    Sarcasm & Lemons

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  19. Your Neil Gaiman story is too funny! I hope you get another chance to get the book signed. :D

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  20. LOVE Neil Gaiman and Marissa Meyer! I can only imagine the type of conversation I'd be able to have with them- especially Neil!

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