tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post9153395395355817009..comments2024-03-08T04:06:53.808-06:00Comments on The New Dork Review of Books: Writers, Live and In Person!Greg Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-84107898575582914332010-02-03T15:28:14.403-06:002010-02-03T15:28:14.403-06:00@Simcha - I hear you on not sounding intelligent (...@Simcha - I hear you on not sounding intelligent (or being star-struck, more accurately) in meeting authors. See my comment above about my idiotic question for Joshua Ferris. :) Thanks for the new follow and for the comment!Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-89474331379142865252010-02-03T12:58:14.932-06:002010-02-03T12:58:14.932-06:00Wow, it's wonderful that you have gotten to me...Wow, it's wonderful that you have gotten to meet so many different authors. Unfortunately, not too many authors come here to Israel. But one of my favorite things about being a book blogger is that it gives me the opportunity to approach authors that I admire and connect with them, something I would never otherwise get to do. Plus, I'm sure I sound more intelligent in my emails then I would if I approached them in real life :)Simchahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14730042073954228379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-34473275441201031952010-02-02T23:47:42.979-06:002010-02-02T23:47:42.979-06:00Who would stop following this blog?! Their loss, n...Who would stop following this blog?! Their loss, not yours! :) I say good on you - if I had the opportunity to go to these things I would AND I would write about them. It was a really interesting and fun post, IMHO.Kathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16731173186767835989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-8423174129258485212010-02-02T13:41:33.708-06:002010-02-02T13:41:33.708-06:00@fictionfanatic - I know! I always struggle with w...@fictionfanatic - I know! I always struggle with what to say - it's hard to strike a balance between something gushing and silly (which I've definitely done more often than not) and something reasonably intelligent. Last night, at the Ferris signing, I definitely bumbled into the former category - he was signing my books and did this thing where he traced his pen and then signed inside the tracing. And instead of asking him about his brilliant novels, I stuttered out "So, is there a story behind the pen-tracing?" Smooth one, GZ.<br /><br />@Rebecca - Sorry to hear! I'm actually surprised by how sparsely attended the ones here in Chicago are - I can't figure out why people WOULDN'T wan to come to these...Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-49754958036219239962010-02-02T13:01:31.426-06:002010-02-02T13:01:31.426-06:00I wish more authors did signing in my area (Greens...I wish more authors did signing in my area (Greensboro/High Point NC) because not enough even come to NC at all. I don't think our local bookstores are helping any either.Beccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02706544792110129160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-40886827927564084272010-02-02T12:28:15.554-06:002010-02-02T12:28:15.554-06:00Wow, you've gotten to meet a lot of awesome wr...Wow, you've gotten to meet a lot of awesome writers! The only author I've met at a book signing is Anne Rice, right after Blood Canticle came out. I was really excited but didn't really get a chance to talk to her because there were SO many people waiting. I just spouted out the typical "I just love your books!" that I'm sure she's never heard before. :)<br /><br />On a plane this weekend I met James E. Shaw, whose first novel just came out (Girl Sinner, Lady Saint), and he was really nice. We chatted a while about writing and he gave me oodles of advice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-5618210390128814882010-02-02T11:59:40.720-06:002010-02-02T11:59:40.720-06:00@lady t - I'm jealous of the Min Jin Lee meeti...@lady t - I'm jealous of the Min Jin Lee meeting - I'd have so many questions for her about what her characters were thinking in that novel! Just bad decision after bad decision - but it made it fun!<br /><br />@Christy - Ah, good idea about book conventions. I've never been to one, but always wanted to as a fabulous place to meet authors - even with the long lines. I bet Fafisi was fascinating - her book sure was!<br /><br />Thanks for the comments!Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-24563224382459634932010-02-02T11:50:51.179-06:002010-02-02T11:50:51.179-06:00Good idea for a post! I've been to the Nation...Good idea for a post! I've been to the National Book Festival in D.C. multiple times, but the signing lines are usually so long, I don't usually personally interact with the authors who are there. Once though, I stood in line to get Reading Lolita in Tehran signed by Azar Nafisi. At the time I was in my early twenties, and she said something to the person sitting next to her that it was great to see young people reading her book.<br /><br />Also, I met Laura Moriarty who wrote the wonderful Center of Everything. She was promoting her second book, The Rest of Her Life, at an ALA conference and giving away free ARCs. As a result of the free books, I'm not sure how many people in the signing line had actually read her first book. I say this because she seemed really surprised and pleased when I told her how much I loved Center of Everything and that it was my top ten of those I had read the previous year. She asked what the other books were and I completely blanked out except for one other title on the list. <br /><br />I think there have been other interactions, but those are the first two that popped into my head.Christy (A Good Stopping Point)http://agoodstoppingpoint.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-12023118362948495172010-02-02T10:07:41.857-06:002010-02-02T10:07:41.857-06:00Back in my bookseller days,I worked at a good numb...Back in my bookseller days,I worked at a good number of author signings,one of which was Richard Russo for a book of short stories(The Whore's Child)-he was a nice guy,indeed and I got the chance to talk to him for a moment about Richard Yates(an author who Russo wrote an intro to a collection of short stories for). <br /><br />Also met Chang-Rae Lee(Gesture Life),Frank McCourt and Mary Higgins Clark. MHC did a couple of signings for our store and her daughter Carol teamed up with her later on. Real classy ladies,the both of them.<br /><br /> Outside of that,thanks to my blog,I was able to meet Min Jin Lee(Free Food for Millionaires)at BEA,along with Kim Sunee whose foodie memoir Trail of Crumbs was about to be released in hardcover. Min Jin was charming and I hope we cross paths again one day.lady thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16287907577241697874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-47743234873846227982010-02-02T09:06:48.113-06:002010-02-02T09:06:48.113-06:00@SariJ - Great story! I'm sure the devil-on-my...@SariJ - Great story! I'm sure the devil-on-my-shoulder would've thought the same thing you did. Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />@Kathmeista - Sorry, didn't mean to rub it in. :) I'm guessing from the dearth of comments on this post that I rather underestimated others' accessibility to author readings/signings - and, therefore, this post came off like I'm crowing. I even lost a follower this morning - maybe someone who was truly angry. Ha...Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-70884858514587967482010-02-02T08:58:17.905-06:002010-02-02T08:58:17.905-06:00I am suffering from an extreme case of jealousy!! ...I am suffering from an extreme case of jealousy!! Zadie Smith (goddess) AND Elizabeth Kostova AND Jonathon Safron Foer and more.... I think I might go and sulk now ;)Kathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16731173186767835989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060047013304842896.post-64691099125058207572010-02-01T22:48:10.303-06:002010-02-01T22:48:10.303-06:00Oh to live in an area where authors dare to go! On...Oh to live in an area where authors dare to go! Only in my dreams. Years and years ago I met Jean Auel the author of the Clan of the Cave Bear series. By time I met her at a book signing the last of the series was out. The third book was criticized for the excessive sex. I tried not to judge or laugh but when I saw how big Auel was, all I could think was "she wrote all those sex scenes?". I was young and naive. Turns out she was a very sweet lady who took the time to talk to me as I was a huge fan of the first book.SariJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11576155931734364322noreply@blogger.com