Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Authors I Would Die To Meet!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  Please click HERE for rules and to view their Top 10 for this week.

I usually don't participate in this meme because I never plan ahead for it and I can never come up with 10 items off the top of my head.  Not so this week.  Actually, I got a little carried away.  There would have been more, but I was fortunate enough to meet a few authors at Stoker Weekend and other conferences (Joe Hill, Peter Straub, Douglas Clegg, Jonathan Maberry).  So, with my authors on this list, I envisioned inviting them to a party at my house.  (They are in no particular order.)

1. Edgar Allen Poe.  Sure, maybe he'd be drunk all night but can you imagine him sitting in a corner with some absinthe reciting Annabel Lee? 

2. Jane Austen.  Jane would be in a lovely dress with a book clutched to her chest.  I don't know why I envision her that way, I've probably seen too many movies.  She would be cordial and lively and maybe Poe would try to charm her...or better yet, the following writer would.

3. William Shakespeare.  He was a rock star!  How could I NOT want to meet him?!  At my party he would be play word games with everyone.  He would probably win them all.

4. Stephen King.  If I wasn't hogging him all evening he would divide his time picking Poe's brain and playing games with Shakespeare. 

5. Robert McCammon.  Another favorite.  I've loved all of his books.  My favorite is Swan Song.  My husband's favorite is They Thirst.  He would compare notes with Stephen King and Poe discussing all things horror. 

6. Evangeline Walton.  She wrote the Mabinogian Tetralogy (a retelling of Welsh myths), which are absolutely amazing.  Period.  She also wrote Witch House, The Cross and the Sword and The Sword is Forged.  Unfortunately she passed away in 1986.  However, at my dinner party she would discuss Welsh and Celtic mythology with me and the next author.

7. Patricia McKillip.  She writes fantasy that reads like poetry, like magic.  My favorite book of hers is Solstice Wood.  When she wasn't mingling at my party she would dance with faeries on my lawn with the next person on my list.

Charles de Lint
8. Charles de Lint.  In my opinion, Mr. de Lint wrote urban fantasy before it was a genre.  I think he is friends with the Fey and is just telling the stories he gleans when he goes to another realm.  He is also a musician so when he and Patricia were done in the backyard, I think he would jam in the corner.  Maybe Stephen King would join him!

9. Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley.  They come as a trio and at midnight they would either get everyone to play "Bloody Mary" or, you guessed it, have a contest to see who could write the scariest story.

10.  Bram Stoker.  While we're at it, I think I should add him to the list.  I would love to meet the author who made vampires famous to this day. 

11. J.K. Rowling.  I was thinking the other day how happy I am that I've gotten to experience Harry Potter in my lifetime.  The books and movies have added so much to our culture and so much to my life.  I think that J.K. would help me in the kitchen...oh wait, maybe she'd bring a house elf or two and I wouldn't have to lift a finger.

12.  Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I have to admit I stole this one from Jen's list at The Broke and Bookish.  But I looooved her series when I was growing up.  Yes, I read her books and I feel like I have some idea of what it was like to live in America at that time, but I would love to be able to talk to her in person.

13. Zilpha Keatley Snyder.  Another favorite author of mine while growing up, Keatley Snyder wrote the spooky stories I craved as a child.  I read her books over and over again and I always wanted more.  I think she would fit right in with King, McCammon and Poe.

14. Neil Gaiman.  I bet he would rush in, goof around a bit, snap some pictures, tweet and then rush off to his next meeting or appearance.

15. J.R.R. Tolkien.  Just like J.K. Rowling, I feel what he brought to people with his stories is iconic and shaped the culture and genre of fantasy.  I might not let him leave my party until he wrote a story just for me. 

Ray Bradbury
16. Ray Bradbury.  (Oh sigh).  Another magical writer.  He captures the spirit of Halloween with perfection.  He and I would go through all my Halloween collectibles and he would reminisce about his own Halloween memories. He would then try to get Jane Austen's phone number, but she would probably only have eyes for William.

17. Clive Barker.  He would be in the backyard burying anyone that was ever mean to me.

So, what did you think of my party?  What authors would you die to meet and how do you think they'd interact with each other?

13 comments:

Missie, The Unread Reader said...

Pam! You mean you want to meet more authors than you have already met? Greedy! :P

Just kidding. But I do agree with this list. I'd love to be at this dinner party.

Curious, but have you read So Shelly by Ty Roth yet? I'm just wondering what you'd think of it.

gabrielreads said...

I love what you said about Barker. He's such an amazing and dark author. I wish I'd thought to put him on my list.

Lisa said...

No sure if I could even keep up with a word game with William Shakespeare...it would be a fun challenge though.

Savannah said...

Nice list! I love to meet Edgar Allen Poe as well.

Alissa said...

Yes! Finally someone else that picked Charles de Lint! I was beginning to think I was the only book blogger I know that has heard of him. :D

Trish said...

Bram Stoker made my list too. But I can't believe I missed Poe and Steven King!

~Sara @ Just Another Story said...

You've got a cool list of authors there. I wouldn't mind meeting CS Lewis. I think that would be nice.

Midnyte Reader said...

Thank you for the comments everyone!
@Missie-Of course I want to meet more authors!
@Gabriel-It's hard to think of everyone you want to meet. That's why I usually can't do these Top 10 lists!
@Lisa-I wouldn't even try to play a word game with Shakespeare.
@Savvy-I think Poe is on many people's lists!
@Alissa-Yay! CDL. I totally love him! It *is* hard to find other people who love him, but I know he has many fans.
@Trish-I like your list too.
@Sara-CS Lewis would be cool too!

Logan E. Turner said...

Yes! Stephen King! He is so entertaining and smart and funny and I would kill to meet him. Love everything he writes.

Midnyte Reader said...

I think a lot of people would love to meet SK Logan. And you know who I forgot? Washington Irving! I could smack myself.

Anonymous said...

Hey Midnyte,
awesome picks! Poe would be around the top of my list, if not the top lol Also want to meet Gaiman, and if that ever happens, would be ecstatic :-)
@Alissa - Charles de Lint rules! lol You're definitely not alone in thinking so ;-)
CLASSIC comment about Barker; I've had the fortunate privilege of meeting him--GREAT guy, very sweet, and very encouraging. I think he would be glad to bury people who have been mean to you! lol

I'm with your hubby on McCammon--am a huge fan of "They Thirst."

Also, to follow up on what you said chez moi,
"Horns" rules!!! lol And "On Writing" is a great one, too--which part are you at?

Cheers,
Darkeva

Midnyte Reader said...

@Darkeva-I need to hear about your experience with Mr. Barker. My favorite of McCammon is Swan Song. I loved that book, one of the few I've read more than once. In Horns, I'm at Lee's story & the night with Merrin! Aaaah! And On Writing, I'm up to the part where he's talking about drafts. So interesting reading the 2 books at the same time.

Small Review said...

Fun party! I love how you not only wrote a list of authors you want to meet, but wrote about how they would all interact with one another at your party.

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