Meeting authors and reading their work.

J-WO

J-WO

Author of 'Pennyblade' and 'Feral Space'
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Oct 28, 2008
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Leicester, The Las Vegas of the Midlands!
Just want to see if I'm the only one. I've read Iain Bank's stuff since the age of 19. I met him at the age of 28 (me, not him). Since then, whenever I read a new Banks novel the narration in my head as I read it is in his voice.

I met Ian Watson half way through reading one of his books and as soon as I began the next chapter, I had Ian's wonderful intonation changing the way I read the sentences. Ian Whates's fiction never even got a chance to sound like anything else but Ian Whates, on account I met him before I read his stuff.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomena when they read?
 
Not quite the same thing, but I've read a few Christopher Brookmyre books (not SFF) and when I heard him on the radio, he sounded pretty much as I'd 'heard' them in my mind, so obviously he writes in his own voice, if that makes sense.

The only other similar thing was the Harry Potter series. I came quite late to them after a friend raved about them and I finally started reading them to shut her up. The problem was that I'd read that Stephen Fry had read for the audiobooks, so I kept getting his tones in my mind as I was reading the hard copy. Distracting, at times. :)
 
What outrageous, thinly veiled name-dropping. (And no, I'm not the least envious. Why would you think that?)
 
I heard Anne Lyle read at Brighton last year, but when I read her book the storyteller was male, so I heard his voice. Sorry, Anne. Or: well done, Anne - really skilful prose...:)


Oooh, ooh, name-dropping! When I ambushed Patrick Rothfuss in Reno (I'd already spoken to him on the phone a year or two before) his laugh is one of the most contagious I've ever met. But I don't hear his voice when I read his books, even though I've seen clips of him reading. American accents don't belong in the world he's created, strangely...



ps: didn't see any photos of Anne with Patrick on her blog...
 
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I used to work at the main bookstore in Belfast, the sort of Irish equivalent of WH Smiths, and we had loads of signing sessions. Here, I will namedrop shamelessly,

Terry Prachett, really good fun. It was during the time he brought out Nanny Ogg's cookbook and he signed them all Can't ook, won't ook.

(I missed an early JK when Philosopher's was just out - how annoying...)

Tom Baker, who offered me a jelly baby and wore the scarf. Since he was my doctor, I nearly fainted. (I met Paul McCann later, I think I might try to collect dr Who meetings...) We had a flourescent green K9 brought along for the event.

Leonard Nimoy, much funnier than you'd expect. He got a guard of honour from the local ST association.

We had loads of others, but that's the only sff ones I can think of, off the top of my head.

(didn't make any difference to how I read any of their stuff, though.)
 
Tom Baker gave me a prize once for drawing a panda. The prize was two Doctor Who books -- but they were Jon Pertwee adventures. Disappointing.

Actually, I do have some relevant experience for this thread. I knew David Mitchell (the multi-Booker-shortlister, not the comedian) quite well at Uni**, but I don't hear his voice when I read his books. The same goes for Chrons members I've met IRL when I read their writing.

(** a few years later he introduced me to a friend of his as a "real author" because I had then finished a novel and he hadn't. Har har har.)
 
Iain Banks is easy to meet he does loads of book festivals and public speaking. (especially in Scotland lol). I do hear Gervaise Phinn's voice (he was Speaker of the Year when I attended speakers club) but then he is the narrator of the Dales series. Terry Pratchett I met when our college decided to put on a production of Wyrd Sisters and forgot to ask permission. He gave them the permission in exchange for a couple of tickets to come and see it. No I don't hear his voice when I read them.

We get a lot of authors come to our local libraries - Joan Lingard was my most exciting.

Has anyone seen the How to Write programme? It is a BBC one that they often repeat. It is aimed at teenagers but is very interesting - Michael Morpurgo, Phillip Pullman, Jacqueline Wilson are amongst the contributers. Michael Morpurgo's voice I do now hear in the stories it is a wonderful rich storytelling voice. Just checked iplayer it is on there now.
 
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The way I remember it, I was an officer with the organization of English students at my Oregon college. Wrote to Ursula Le Guin inviting her to come down from Portland. Eventually she did. How cool was that? Got autograph (in a hardcover copy of The Farthest Shore), but also handwritten note. She is a gracious person.

I wouldn't say that I hear her voice when I read her prose, though.

What happened to John Varley? He was very visible around the late 1970s/early 80s, when I saw him at a con in Portland & got his autograph in one of his books (and what happened to that book, I don't know... long gone).
 
This is boasting too much, if i was interested in authors after i met them i would never read many authors i have read.... Mostly authors i find interesting never ever come up here. This is luxury issue for UK/US/Aussie fans or wherever english speaking authors are from.

I havent even read Kelly Link,Peter Watts and im excited to meet them in Swecon 2012 next month here. Of Course Joe Abercrombie who isnt my biggest fav is the big draw for me.

Im just glad authors i know by name are coming here for once:)
 
Toby Frost said:
I once met Iain Banks, but unfortunately I was too struck with awe to do much but squeak at him. Then he - reasonably, I think - excused himself in order to go and have some curry.
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Would that have been at Newcon? Happened to me, too. I was stood in the queue for the real ale, when Iain trundles up and stands behind me. I'd never been to a con before or met any writers and suddenly he says to me 'So this is the real ale, eh?' and I just went 'yeah' and smiled. He smiled at me for a bit and then checked his phone. To be honest, Toby, I suspect he's used to it by now.
 
The only time that happens to me is after I hear someone read from their work at a convention. (Just engaging with someone in ordinary conversation doesn't do it, and neither does listening to them speak on a panel.)
 
is it time for my Pratchett story yet? when i met him, back in the mid-90s, after an amateur theatre company i was involved with had put on a successful production of Wyrd Sisters, he simply said: "Oh, I was expecting somebody taller."

as for hearing stories in the author's voice - how do you reckon services like Audible affect your perception of books?
 
I've never met any authors IRL, only chatted with Anne McCaffrey once on her long-defunct official site. But I have All The Weyrs of Pern on tape, read by AMC herself. Now, whenever I read one of her books, I hear her in my mind.
 
Never had it happen with an author, but have found myself hearing an actor when I've re-read a book after seeing the film.
 
Vanaheim said:
have found myself hearing an actor when I've re-read a book after seeing the film.
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That's happened to me sometimes, too! If I liked the movie very much, that's not a problem, it may even be a good thing, but if the movie was a disappointment, I hate that it changes the way I hear the characters.
 
Ok it happened to me yesterday lol I took my daughter to meet Debi Gliori. (children's author/illustrator). My daughter wasn't remotely awe struck and decided to join in drawing when she did and laughed her way through the presentation.

I went to read about Witch Baby to my kids tonight and I couldn't get her pronunciations out of my head.
 
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