Books
Reading is, by nature, a very solitary pursuit. So when bibliophiles finally get a chance to burrow out from under their cozy blankets, set aside their mugs of tea, and get out into the world to talk endlessly about all of their favorite authors, series and fandoms with other readers, well, let's just say it's a very exciting prospect. Which is why the annual BookCon, being held this year on June 2 and June 3 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, is always one of the biggest book events of the entire year — it's a place where readers, authors and other industry professionals come together to celebrate their love of all things bookish with panels, signings, meet-ups and so much more. You can still get tickets now, if you don't want to miss out.
But it's not only the fans who get excited about the prospect of meeting their favorite authors in the flesh — authors are fans, too, and they can be just as excited about having two days to revel in their fandoms and meet their writing idols. Bustle asked four YA fantasy authors — Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu, Laini Taylor and Renee Ahdieh — with huge fan bases of their own, which authors they would be most excited to meet and fangirl over and their answers are nothing if not relatable.
Sabaa Tahir, Author of 'A Reaper At The Gates'
"The most obvious answer to this question is J.K. Rowling but the truth is that if I met J.K. Rowling, I'm pretty sure I'd just drop dead of happiness, so let's pick someone who won't kill me. I would probably turn into a gibbering mess if I ever met Alison Croggon, who wrote The Naming, which is book one of the Pellinor series. I'd have a million questions for her — how did she incorporate poetry into her work? How was she inspired to create a fantasy world so beautifully interwoven with music? But before I ever did any of that I'd burst into tears and blubber my thanks to her for writing a book so wonderful that I never ever get sick of rereading it."
Marie Lu, Author of 'Warcross'
“This happened to me recently, actually! When I first met Megan Whalen Turner, I spent the entire time repeating 'Stay cool, Marie' to myself in my head. She was so kind. I hope I didn’t weird her out.”
Laini Taylor, Author of 'Strange The Dreamer'
"There are a lot of writers I fangirl over in my heart, and somehow manage to play it cool if I get the chance to meet them. But I've never met Frances Hardinge, who writes the most exquisite, strange, and beautiful novels. Her prose and imagination floor me. I'm not sure I'd be terribly articulate if I met her!"
Renee Ahdieh, Author of 'Smoke In The Sun'
"There are two authors I always dreamed of meeting. The first is Anne Rice, and I got to meet her a few years ago in New Orleans. She said she wanted to read my book and it gave me chills. I've not had a chance to meet Isabel Allende yet, but I think I would blather incoherently about how much The House of the Spirits ruled my teenage life."
