Armchair BEA - Author Interaction

It's the second day of Armchair BEA. Yesterday was amazing, I loved connecting with so many people over Twitter and by visiting their blogs. I haven't been able to visit half as many blogs as I would've liked to and unfortunately I have to work today which means my visits will have to happen in the evening. 
Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended. Or, you can feature your favorite author fan moment (i.e., an author sent you a tweet or commented on your blog). Maybe you even want to share how your interactions have changed since becoming a blogger or share your own tips that you have learned along the way when interacting with authors as a blogger.
I haven't really met a lot of authors IRL, unfortunately. I once went to a Q&A session with Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which was absolutely brilliant but I was way too terrified to approach him afterwards, let alone talk to him. That was two years ago and I'd like to believe that now I am more collected and would be able to have a normal and sane conversation with him, but who knows. Another interaction I really enjoyed was when I got to send some questions (here in case you want to have a look) to Geraldine Brooks regarding her novel People of the Book. What made it all the more special was that it was me grand father who recommended the book to me because he absolutely loved it and I managed to ask Geraldine some questions that he himself had been wondering about.

Most of my author interaction happens via Twitter or through interviews and emails. Although there is something amazing about interacting with well-known and established authors I actually really enjoy talking to "normal" authors. Whom I mean by that are the authors who haven't reached worldwide renown (yet) but simple are writers. Getting to interact with them and see how they manage to write their novels while often maintaining a day job and a family life is a major inspiration for someone like me who desperately wants to become an author as well. This is the place where I want to thank all of those authors for being so incredibly kind and patient with bloggers like me who simple manage to lose all grasp of language when they come in contact with them!

One of my favourite moment of online interaction wasn't technically with an author, but I'm still going to count it because she does write. I tweeted Brenda Chapman, a writer and director who has been involved with some major Disney and Pixar movies. She was a story artist for The Beauty & the Beast, she was Head of story for the amazing The Lion King and became the first woman to direct a major studio film when she became part of the directing team for The Prince of Egypt. All three of those movies are absolute favourites of mine and I think Chapman has been incredibly important in making way for women in the industry. I basically tweeted my admiration for her and she thanked me, which made me fawn all over my phone. I was in the best mood for the whole day. More recently she co-directed Brave.


So, those are some of my favourite author interaction moments! How about you? I'd love for you to tell me about them, so leave a link in a comment and I'll come visit :)

Comments

  1. I love that you asked Geraldine Brooks your grandpa's questions, thats so sweet! I really liked that book, it had a lot going on but in a good way!

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    1. There were definitely a lot of different storylines but somehow Brooks managed to bring them all together!

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  2. Awesome that you went to a Q&A featuring Carlos Ruiz Zafon! I dunno if I could ever approach an author afterwards as well but I would love to sit in on one of his events :)

    Day 2 @ my blog

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    1. Just hearing him explain his writing process was amazing!

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  3. Both interactions are awesome. I would have been on cloud 9 after getting thanked but someone that I hold in such high esteem.

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  4. I'm so jealous! Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorites. It's so strange, talking to people like that used to seem so far out of reach, but once you become a blogger it opens a world of opportunity to meet your heroes.

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  5. No interactions with authors for me, in any way. Stinks but ~ it is what it is. :)

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  6. Oh wow - I absolutely love The Lion King - what a fun interaction!

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  7. Love this post! I'm such a Disney fan also! I'm actually looking for some Disney the ed posts for a summer event I'm running I'm going to emsilyou about a guest post!

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  8. So far most of my author interactions have been via twitter, but I'm hoping that will change soon! And if I had interacted with Brenda Chapman, I would have included it too ;) That's awesome!

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. I can't wait to actually meet authors face to face, but I think I'm going to have to work on my confidence a bit more before then!

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  9. Wow that would be so amazing! I definitely need to work on my confidence and shyness before I talk face to face with an author. I can write back and forth with one, but I think I would chicken out or freeze if I tried to verbally talk to one!

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  10. I love that you asked your grandfathers questions. I am glad that you mentioned Brenda Chapman. I am interested in things like that. I will have to look her up. I love the art in both The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. I often research cover artists, especially if they have used an interesting medium.

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  11. Those are some great interactions! I love Geraldine Brooks too, and I'm glad you asked those questions. A movie is such a collaborative process, I think it's totally legitimate to think of the other members of the team besides the screenwriters as also being "authors."

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  12. That's great that she responded, Love all those Disney movies but wouldn't have thought to tweet someone about it

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  13. Those are some great and memorable interactions! I'm a little jelly over the Carlos Ruiz Zafon one but in a good way. :-)

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  14. Years ago I went to a couple of conferences and met some authors, but now everyone I meet is through social media. I love being able to tell an author how much I enjoy his or her book.

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  15. Oh, great story about your interaction with Geraldine Brooks! I love her novels, especially "People of the Book."

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  16. Totally awesome author interactions, Juli! You're so lucky to have corresponded with Geraldine Brooks! I absolutely loved People of the Book. I'm always amazed at how many authors that I tweet respond back! I know they must be super busy:-)

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  17. My interactions are mostly all via Twitter as well. There is only one books a million and no local bookstores so we get very few author appearances. It sucks. I'm relegated to author interaction on the web.
    Ashley (Closed the Cover)

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  18. So cool! I think sometimes book bloggers forget about writers in other genres like movies, but they are super important as well!

    --Brenda @DailyMayo

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  19. That's so cool that you got to ask questions for you and your grandpa. What an awesome experience! :D That's so cool that you got to talk to Brenda Chapman! I loved all of those movies you mentioned. :D Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  20. It's hard not to be nervous around authors you really admire. I think one of my favorite interactions was meeting John Green pretty much the week before I got married. He was astounded I would spend an evening hearing him talk when I had so much to worry about. That store was jammed with people and I was lucky enough to get their early and have my book signed as one of the first. :)

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  21. That's so cool that Brenda Chapman thanked you! I have met some authors including Veronica Roth at the RT Convention two years ago, and a few different authors at readings/signings. I've experienced an popular author or two retweet me or reply back. I think it's all good. Most authors are approachable and friendly which puts me at ease when engaging them.

    Tamara (Shelf Addiction)

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  22. I have been to an author event with Geraldine Brooks - she happily signed 5 books for me. I loved her stories about her childhood in Sydney.

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  23. I don't ever ask authors questions in book signing lines or after they speak, so good for you for being brave!

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