Your Most Embarrassing Moment – Author Style!
I got a really great phone call today from one of my friends who had to tell me a story. And I hope she forgives me for sharing it. Her little girl is getting ready to enter kindergarten in the fall. At what I believe was an open house of sorts, she was able to figure out which moms who had kids in the same preschool as her daughter would also be at the school. She knew one mom by sight but didn’t know what her name was, only that she was X’s (remaining anonymous) mom.
Later, she was browsing Stephenie Meyer’s website for the first time and pulled up a photo of Stephenie Meyer at the Twilight premier and was surprised to see X’s mom in the photo. How cool, she thought! So she wrote a note to X’s mom and sent it with her daughter to give to X, to give to his mom.
Later, my friend was talking to her neighbor and telling her about this other mommy who got to meet Stephenie Meyer (she was under impression she must have won a trip, etc.). The neighbor asked what her name was and she said she couldn’t remember, she’d have to look it up. When she does, the neighbor quickly tells her that she’s not just a “normal” mommy but a famous and Newbery Award winning author. My friend Googles her, pulls up her website and sits in shock as she realizes that yes, this other mommy was indeed a very famous and Newbery Award winning author.
My friend calls me in a panic because she believes that she has just committed a very serious faux puax. She just sent a note to a famous author without knowing who she was, but worse, hadn’t heard of nor read any of her books. And on top of that, she gushed about how great it must have been to have meet Stephenie Meyer, not realizing that they were already friends. What to do, what to do? She was so nervous. I assured her that the author in question is the most down to earth, funniest, real, un-snobbish author I’ve ever met. She probably appreciated a note that was just from one mom to another. She is a mom after all. I doubt she wears her author hat all the time. I reassured her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about.
That story today reminded me of when Laurie Halse Anderson came to Salt Lake City and I was in her signing line a few people ahead of Sara Zarr, National Book Award author. Sara was chatting with a teenager about various books and the girl said something along the lines of “you know, that one chick who wrote that one book.” Sara replies, “I wrote that book.” The girl just about screamed. She had no idea she’ d been chatting for more than ten minutes with an author, especially an author that she had read and admired. And Sara had a good laugh over the word “chick.”
My embarrassing moment was when I thought I was emailing local Utah author Ann Dee Ellis but I was actually emailing another local Utah author Emily Wing Smith. When she emailed back very confused (I had even addressed her as Emily, but all of the particulars were about Ann Dee Ellis stuff), I was very confused. When I finally figured it out, I was so embarrassed. Thank goodness Emily is really cool and took it all in stride. I was a bit red in the face.
Anyways, the point? My question is this: have you ever had a “moment” whether in person or online with an author (or as an author with a reader) that you thought was embarrassing? Said something you shouldn’t have? Ever committed a faux paus? Know of someone who has? Fess up! I’m sure are some great stories out there and I want to hear them! And let’s hope that I don’t commit one at BookExpo America (BEA). And any guesses on the famous author in question above (without clicking or hovering on the links below)?
Links of interest: The mystery author’s book review, book review, book review, book review, author interview, launch party, book signing, yummy soup author recipe and website.
Maw Books reviews of Sara Zarr’s Sweethearts, Story of a Girl, author interview and smoothie author recipe.
Maw Books reviews of Ann Dee Ellis’ This Is What I Did.
Maw Books reviews of Emily Wing Smith’s The Way He Lived.
Maw Books reviews of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, Chains,Wintergirls and author signing.
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Category: Bookish Musings & Miscellany
Tags: Stephenie Meyer
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Natasha wrote, “The author in question is the most down to earth, funniest, real, un-snobbish author I’ve ever met.”
It’s got to be Shannon Hale. Who else! Her interpretive dancing with Dean at the recent festival was hysterical.
on May 21st, 2009 at 6:29 amAuthors must understand that not everyone can know who they are. When I went to RWA last year, there were a ton of authors there and some I have never heard of.
I think it would be funny to be at a bookstore and looking at the YA books and start going on and on about Twilight to a woman who is standing there and find out later it is Stephenie Meyer!
on May 21st, 2009 at 6:35 amYeah, there’s no way it isn’t Shannon Hale, particularly since I know she has a small son and she also went to the premier with Stephenie Meyer.
on May 21st, 2009 at 6:36 amI guessed Shannon Hale because I know her and Meyer are both Utah authors, and I think they’re both LDS. Then I clicked on your links and I’m right!!
on May 21st, 2009 at 6:58 amSome years ago I heard that Neil Gaiman was going to be signing at the Frankfurt Book Fair. He was scheduled to sign both at the publisher booth and then afterward at the comic center. I decided to go to the booth first, but there was no signing in progress. So I just sort of lurked around until I spotted him with a publisher rep, getting ready to walk over to the comic center. But I got cold feet about talking to him so I just stalked him during the 5 minute walk over to the comic center. Then I stood in line to get my books signed. When it was my turn, he said he recognized me as his recent stalker and I turned beet red! Guess I shouldn’t join the CIA…
on May 21st, 2009 at 7:13 amI love this post! I am going to share it with some of my author friends as this has been an ongoing discussion with us! Thanks for sharing, and my fingers are crossed for no embarrassing author moments at BEA!
on May 21st, 2009 at 8:35 amWhat I want to know is how come you gals get your picture on your comment and I don’t? It ain’t feah. Back on topic: Do let us know if there ARE any embarrassing author moments at BEA.
on May 21st, 2009 at 9:09 amMy moment wasn’t an “I don’t recognize you” moment. When I first went to a Shannon Hale signing, I waited in line for a not really very long time, but my husband (who, in his defense, was in school at the time) was waiting in the car, rather impatiently. When I got up to her, I was feeling really shy and all star struck, but I started to babble as well. I mentioned we had driven all the way up to the signing in the rain (it was only about a 40 minute drive) and my husband was waiting in the car. I realized, after she signed my book with something nice like “thanks for driving all the way to see me,” that I sounded like an absolute jerk who didn’t have the time to wait in line to see her. Makes me really glad she probably doesn’t remember me.
on May 21st, 2009 at 9:31 amOMG, do I have one. My first Kid Lit Drink Night in NYC was after the SCBWI conference, and it was packed. I was talking to lots of new authors and some bloggers (there were less of us about three years ago). I was trying to put myself out there and talk to people, even if I didn’t know them. I met a nice man David Diaz, whom I asked what he did – write or blog. Kind and smooth Alvina Ling (Blue Rose Girls, and um, Little, Brown editor) mentioned how he was Caldecott winning illustrator. Something I probably should have known on hearing his name. He was extremely gracious. I scurried away and hid in the corner for the rest of the night.
on May 21st, 2009 at 9:36 amAlright, I’ve been thinking about my “moment” all day and I’ll tell. Orson Scott Card donated all his archives to BYU’s library, as you all probably know. After his address, he made himself available in a room during the reception. All the chairs were in a horse shoe shape and he was talking informally with those there. I stood at the opening of the horseshoe and for some reason he looked at me and said, “Hi there, what can I do for you?” I told him, “Hey, you owe me a picture.” (That’s another story.) He said, “How about now?” He stood up and someone took our picture, then he said, “How about an unconventional shot?” Next thing I knew, he bent over. I thought he’d dropped something. When I looked down to see what it might be, I felt one of his arms go around my back, and another one behind my knees. I thought, “What in the world?” He’d scooped me into his arms like something out of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was hilarious. Everyone laughed their heads off, and I was so surprised that I burst out laughing to myself the whole way to the car and still do to this day. I have that picture framed with the first ‘normal’ one, along with picture of his wife, Kristine, and I to prove that she was there and was privy to such an intimate shot.
on May 21st, 2009 at 12:35 pmI had scheduled a time to meet with an author I was hosting on my blog, and was racing back into town in order to be at the book signing. Turned out, she wasn’t feeling well, so I was on the verge of not getting to meet one of my most favorite people in the publishing world:-(
I took a chance and stepped out of my comfort zone, went up to her and asked, “Are you Sharon Hinck?”, author of The Sword of Lyric series among other novels I adore.
She gave me a blank look and said “Yes, I am, but I’m not staying. I’m not feeling my best so I’m going back to the room.”
In a panic, I blurted out, “I’m Deena Peterson from A Peek At My Bookshelf!”
Fortunately, her eyes lit up with recognition, and we had THE BEST time talking together and praying. But I felt totally out of my zone and surreal.
Are these good, clean authors you’re blogging about that my daughter can enjoy? She’s like me…doesn’t like books with ‘ick’ in them…and we LOVED the Twilight series, if that helps:-)
on May 21st, 2009 at 12:40 pmI have two (one minor, one somewhat major).
#1. Right after Jeffrey Eugenides won the Pulitzer for “Middlesex” he had a reading/signing for Live at Prairie Lights at the UI (where I pretty much live because I (still) work there). I was all happy because I loved the book and nattered away while he signed and then I said “But I don’t understand why you named Cal’s brother Chapter 11.” Eugenides gave me a really, really long look and told me to think about it. Boy did I feel silly (I’m trying not to spoil Middlesex if you’ve not read it).
#2. I was cleaning up the kids’ dept at the bookstore when a very nice lady asked me for a certain title. I found it for her and recommended another (might have been Caddie but I don’t remember now), and she asked for a few more and off we went for quite some time. I was looking up some book information for her when I realized we were due for an author reading/signing for Sarah Prineas’s first book in about 5 minutes and hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the author yet. I snagged the manager and asked if she’d seen Sarah Prineas yet. The nice lady I was helping burst out laughing – it was Sarah Prineas! (eeek, embarassing) And we even had a big sign with her picture on it right at the entrance to the kids’ section. She was really nice about it and said she was having too much fun just being a customer to tell me exactly why she was there. Which was really nice of her, but I was about three shades of red/purple by then.
(Sarah’s back in our store for another signing May 30 for her new book – yay!)
on May 21st, 2009 at 2:07 pmI went to a reading with a friend, also a book editor, at KGB last winter. It was spur of the moment; I didn’t know Christopher was reading in town. I got very excited because this guy is my favorite author; I’m really gaga for his novel. My friend–his editor–told me to calm down…do not go up to him at the bar and tell him you love him.
Of course that’s exactly what I did. And what did I get in return at the end of the evening? A kiss
on May 21st, 2009 at 2:26 pmAbout a year ago I went to pick up my son from his very first high school semi-formal dance. Attempting not to be an embarrassing and hovering mother (heaven forbid I meet him at the door) I called his cell phone to tell him where in the rather large parking lot I was located. I realized in short order that he couldn’t hear me as the DJ was playing the last number.
So I decided to text him. I had just gotten one of those phones with a flip up keyboard that made typing easy. However you really should never text in the dark, without your reading glasses on. Holding a phone at arms length is fraught with potential peril.
I sent the following text: “Be in the parking lot in 10 minutes. Meet me under the big tree in the back. Hope you had fun.”
It wouldn’t have been a problem if I was texting my son, Stephen. Unfortunately, I texted Stephenie Meyer who was the name under my son in my address book. It was one of those moments when my brain realized my error but my thumb on the send button was two beats ahead of my brain.
Mortified at sending what was a combo deep throat meets stalker text I immediately sent another explaining.
on May 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pmThis isn’t TOO horrible, but here we go: a few years ago I was part of a bloggers’ panel at the Los Angeles SCBWI conference. All panelists and presenters are considered “faculty” and are invited to a dinner/meet-and-greet at the beginning of the conference. You get seated sort of randomly, and I was at a table with some truly nice people. But, a bit later in the evening as everyone was mingling, I found myself talking to a lovely and very nice woman who then introduced herself–Kirby Larson.
I automatically went on to say, “oh, it’s nice to meet you,” and then awkwardly went, “I, uh, ummm…” because I realized I had definitely heard of her work, many times, but hadn’t read any of it yet. So, what could have been a polite moment to say something kind like, “oh yes, I really enjoyed Hattie Big Sky” or whatever, turned into a sort of mortifying what-do-I-say-now? situation. Punishment for letting my TBR pile get too huge!
on May 21st, 2009 at 5:02 pmI don’t have any!!!! But these stories were really fun to read. Must get some embarrassing author stories in my blogger portfolio..;)
on May 21st, 2009 at 8:05 pmI don’t have any embarrasing author stories, but these are hilarious! Here’s hoping I don’t have any embarrasing moments while #BEA!
on May 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 amMadeleine L’Engle’s book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith in the Arts, gave me the courage to write. (Books 13 & 14 soon release.) She was making an appearance at a local college, so I grabbed my book and wallowed in her speech. As I stood in the long line waiting for an autograph, I thought carefully about what I would say to her, how I could thank her. When it was my turn, I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead, I started crying. Sobbing crying–and I could not stop. While I wiped snot off my face with the back of my hand, she reached for my book and wrote the most wonderful words in it, which caused me to cry all the more. I never said a word. Just walked away crying, my heart grateful and full.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 7:29 amLOL These were great thanks for the smiles. I’ve only met one author in my life and it was Robert Munsh and I barely remember it because I was a kid so not stories for me. I really should focus on authors more.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 amI really enjoyed this post!
on May 27th, 2009 at 3:10 pm