Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Meeting A Far-Away Reader

Last month I had the opportunity to visit with a reader who had come from farther away than anyone else I'd met: Israel. Now, I can't claim Amy S. came all the way to New Hampshire just to visit me. ;-) But while she was here on vacation with her family, we did have the opportunity to meet and have a great visit at a local spot over a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. She had purchased copies of a couple of my books, which I was glad to sign for her. We also talked about another interest we have in common, knitting. Here's a picture of the two of us:


I've done booksignings, but it's usually locals at those events. I've met readers at conferences and other events, where it's me who's from out of town. But this is my very first opportunity to meet a reader from outside the U.S., and it was great!

A few times in my life, I've had the opportunity to meet someone important to me in one way or another. Probably the most memorable time was when I met Mary Higgins Clark at a writer's conference in Florida. I love her books, and it was such an honor and so exciting to get to shake her hand. I'm sure I stammered and stuttered and in general was less than coherent. ;-)

Do you have stories of meeting a favorite writer, or maybe an actor, singer, artist, or someone else whose work you're familiar with, but not the person? Who did you meet? What was it like? How far did you travel? Share your stories with me!