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Author Interaction 
Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended.

Yeah, so here’s the thing.  I don’t want to talk to authors in real life.

It isn’t (entirely) because I’m antisocial.  I just can’t think of anything that I would want to say to them.  I’m sure they are nice people but whenever I think of talking to someone who lots of other people want to talk to I can’t think of anything remotely interesting to ask.  I just envision mobs of people wanting to ask me questions (which is my real life actually) and it makes me want to go home and lie down.  I start to feel sorry for the authors so I don’t want to bother them.

That’s the introvert in me coming out.

I have two almost meeting people in real life stories.  I went to a reading by Jennifer Chiaverini.  I bought the book.  Then afterwards I looked at the long line and figured I could be home by the time I got to the front to get it signed.  Yep, I’m a party animal.

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Another time I was in the same building with James Marsters.  I loved him on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and I love his audiobook performances.  I’ve listened to a whole series just because he was narrating.  He does most of the Dresden File books too and they are wonderful.

Did I go to his signing or to get a picture with him?  Nope.  I took a picture from a distance -Yay for superzoom cameras – and left.  I couldn’t think of anything I really needed to say to him or that he really needed to hear from me.  It wasn’t like I had a message from God for him.  And, it turns out that he is fairly little and if I got my picture taken with him I was going to look like a whale because no one thinks he is that small and I wasn’t going to be happy with that.

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Seriously, if you are in any way introverted you have to read Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  You will embrace your solitary ways like never before.

I do follow some authors’ blogs but I have a horrible secret about that too.  I don’t read their books.  I’ve followed some for years.  I love the blogs.  But as much as I like the blogs I don’t like these particular author’s books.  I’ve tried.  I feel like I should like them.  It is a bad feeling.

There is one exception though.  I had followed Rachael Lucas’ blog for a long time.  We both had totally different lives when I started following her.  Then she wrote a book.  I didn’t read it because of my horrible track record.  Eventually I got a copy on a day it was free on Amazon and figured I had nothing to lose.  How’s that for confidence?  It was really good!  It is called Sealed With A Kiss.