This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet one of my writing heroes.
Marian Keyes.
Yes. The Marian Keyes. She was amazing. The whole thing was really cool. I, however, was not. (Shaky legs, flip-flopping tummy, gibbering nonsense – all of that went on.)
So when I got back I thought I'd ask my Novelicious colleagues which author they'd most like to meet. And I hope when they do, they'll be a lot more composed than I was.
1. JK Rowling – Of course, I would think most of us would like to meet JK Rowling. I would, Zarina would, and Kerry would. I don't need to mention her Harry Potter series, that goes without saying, but I will tell you that her third Cormoran Strike novel, written under the name of Robert Galbraith, will be out on October 20. In Career of Evil, Robin is shocked and horrified to unwrap a mysterious package in the office only to find a woman's severed leg. Cormoran thinks one of four men from his past could be responsible. Believing the police are focusing on the wrong suspect, Cormoran and Robin take things into their own hands.
2. Judy Blume – Judy Blume is a beloved author from many of our childhoods. Susan, Kerry and Kirsty all say she is one of the authors they'd most like to meet. And now they can as Judy is touring the UK next week. Her latest book, In The Unlikely Event, is about three generations of families, friends and strangers whose lives are forever changed in the aftermath of three plane crashes in 1950s America.
3. Jilly Cooper – Cesca would see Jilly Cooper "like a shot" if the situation ever arose. (Cesca is a major fan of Jilly's and Rupert Campbell Black's.) Riders has just been reissued by the publishers to celebrate its 30th birthday with a slightly tweaked front cover. This has created quite a debate amongst authors and booksellers alike as to whether it's better or not. Happy birthday, Riders!4. Dorothy Koomson – Jennifer would love to meet Dorothy as she adores her writing. Dorothy's latest novel, That Girl from Nowhere, is about Clemency who was adopted as a baby. A cardboard box hand-decorated with butterflies is the only connection she has to her birth mother. Moving to Brighton, where she was born, Clem has no idea that while there she'll meet someone who knows all about her butterfly box and what happened to her birth parents.
5. Stephen King – For Amanda and Kirsty meeting Stephen King is high on their wish-list. Amanda says she just wants to "listen to him talk and marvel". Like Misery, Stephen's latest novel, Finders Keepers, is about a reader who is obsessed with an author. Morris kills John Rothstein, a Salinger-like icon who hasn't published a book for decades, and empties the author's safe of cash and notebooks containing enough material for another novel. Then Morris gets locked up for something else and the notebooks aren't found again for decades until a boy called Pete comes along. But Pete and his family are in danger, because Morris has been released from prison after 35 years…
If you could meet a favourite author, who would you choose?