Top Ten Tuesday --- Eleven Authors I Can't Believe I've Met!!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

I've been truly blessed in being able to attend many author events and book festivals in my lifetime!! Below are a few of the amazing authors I've met in person.

1. Thomas Steinbeck --- Thomas Steinbeck is an author and son of Nobel Prize for Literature winner, John Steinbeck. I met Thomas Steinbeck twice at two different author events in Santa Barbara, California! My husband and I were lucky enough to be sitting next to Thomas Steinbeck and his wife at one of the events we attended... How cool is that? I now have signed copies of three of his books.

2. Abraham Verghese --- He spoke at an event at UC Santa Barbara and signed copies of his novel Cutting For Stone. It was an amazing opportunity to met Abraham Verghese in person.

3. Gay Hendricks --- Gay Hendricks is primarily known as a psychologist, writer, and practitioner, but he has also co-written The Tenzing Norbu Mystery Series with Tinker Lindsay. I was able to meet both Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay at an author event in Summerland, California at The Scared Space when they both discussed and signed copies of their latest novel in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery Series.

4. Garth Stein --- I read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein a few years ago and this novel quickly became one of my all time favorites!! I knew after reading this novel that I would love to met Garth Stein in person. I felt blessed to have eventually met him a couple of years ago at an author signing event at an independent bookstore in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he was signing copies of his latest novel, A Sudden Light.

5. Paula Hawkins --- I was able to meet her in person at a local independent bookstore while she was on tour for The Girl On The Train. She talked about writing The Girl On The Train, did a reading from the novel, answered questions from readers, and signed copies of her novel.

6. Amy Stewart --- I loved reading Amy Stewart's nonfiction books Wicked Plants and also Wicked Bugs, so knew I'd want to met her at an author event... Sure enough, I've met her at three different author events in an 18 month period!! She's an amazing speaker and I now have signed copies of three of her books.

7. Judy Blume --- My hubby and I heard Judy Blume speak at the inaugural Bay Area Book Festival in 2015 in Berkeley, California. I was able to have her sign a copy of her latest novel (at the time), In the Unlikely Event.

8. Sherman Alexie --- I am a HUGE fan of Sherman Alexie's writing, so I was thrilled to hear him speak at the 2016 Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, California and met him briefly to sign copies of his novels that I have. 

9. Arturo Perez-Reverte --- I and fun meeting Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte last summer at an independent bookstore near where I live. What a fun author!

10. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snickets) --- I saw/met Daniel Handler last year at the 2016 Bay Area Book Festival and was able to briefly meet him after a speaking event he co-hosted with Sherman Alexie. I was thrilled to have him sign a copy of his first book in the Lemony Snickets series.

11. Lisa See --- I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting her this past weekend at an author event in Pleasanton, California!!

So, which authors have you enjoyed meeting in person??