Authors I'd Love to Chat with Over Coffee

A little glimpse of my bookshelf.

I’ve always loved meeting authors. Authors fascinate me. I love to figure out what makes them tick, to learn more about their personalities and then see if I can pick out how their lives are reflected in their writing.  I’m a context junkie. I don’t care how fantastical a world you’ve created, I don’t believe for a second that anything we do is done entirely outside the context of our own lives and experiences. And after reading a person’s book, I positively yearn to chat with the author.

So, I decided to put together a list of authors I’d like to meet. This list is in no particular order and by no means definitive. It also only includes living authors (not that I wouldn’t squeal with delight to have a fun and meaningful chat with Nora Ephron, for a start).

John Sandford: I’ve been reading the Prey series pretty much non-stop for months now. I’ve never spent any time in Minnesota but I’m starting to feel like I’ve been there. And I can’t help but wonder what John is like in person. I’m probably as addicted to Lucas Davenport as any of his fans so I’m curious about the man who created Lucas and Weather and Del and that fuckin’ Flowers.

Jennifer Weiner: What can I say, I’ve been reading Jennifer Weiner’s stuff for years and I just love her characters, even when they break my heart. She’s a fun person to follow on Twitter and I’d love to just chat with her about writing and life and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Sherman Alexie: We read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a few years ago in a book club and I loved every word. I’m a sucker for books that make me feel and inspire social action and draw wisdom from personal experience.

Chuck Palahniuk: Just wow. These books give me strange dreams and make me feel funny and I love the way they are written. Invisible Monsters was definitely one of my favorite books but I don’t think I’ve read a Palahniuk book I didn’t love so there you have it.

Cheryl Strayed: Her book Wild made me cry a lot and was inspiring. I also love her advice as Sugar. She came to our area recently and I just couldn’t make it up to see her, so I hope I’ll get another chance.

Laurie Notaro: Because she’s hilarious. I used to read her books on the commute to work in Seattle and I’m pretty sure people thought I was crazy (or maybe just obnoxious). I can still pick up The Autobiography of a Fat Bride and just laugh til I cry!

Okay, so I realize that this list could go on and on. I’d also love to meet Isabel Allende, Nick Hornby, Erik Larson, George R. R. Martin, Tami Hoag, Khaled Hosseini, David Wroblweski (hey, he lives in Colorado!)…seriously, I could just keep going here (and the list just gets more eclectic as I go!). The bottom line is that I love the work that these authors have produced and I think they’d be really interesting to meet in person. Which authors would you like to meet?

P.S. Any Seattle or Portland authors want to join me for a coffee chat in July?  (never hurts to ask, right?)

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