There is an old expression out there that you should never meet your heroes. Most of the time, you have put them up on a pedestal in your mind and to have that come crashing down can be devastating. Back when I had a MySpace page (remember when MySpace was cool?), I liked to do my own graphics and I had one that featured the Top 5 people 
I would liked to be trapped in an elevator with. Vin Diesel was tops in the list because we go to the same barber and I want to do a CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK comic book. But what if I actually got a chance to meet Vin and he blew me off or was a total jerk. It would sour all of my feelings for him – wouldn’t be a fan anymore. Hans Zimmer? Joe Quesada? Stephen Colbert? How would it change my feelings if they were jerks?
So with MySpace dying, I converted over to Facebook. I have become fans of several famous people, one of which was Seth Grahame-Smith, after reading his book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Curious to see what other writers might be on the list and having just finished The Ghost King, I looked up my #1 favorite author of all time. I have what I call my Magnificent Seven – the seven people who have influenced me the most creatively. Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Smith, and topping the list is George Lucas. (I know that is only six.) Lucas tops the list in the number one category. But imagine my surprise when I found #2 on my list on Facebook…
The #2 slot belongs to a gentleman named R.A. Salvatore. Salvatore is not the household name that others are on the list. Although most people might not know Lee or McFarlane. Google or Wikipedia them. I can’t do everything for you! Salvatore is a New York Times Best Selling Author who created the character of Drizzt Do’Urden. Salvatore made me want to write. In all his book dust jackets, they talk of how The Lord of the Rings changed his life. I always wanted to meet him, shake his hand and say, “The Crystal Shard changed my life.”
That book put me on the path to becoming a writer. There is no doubt about it. I think it is a rarity where you can look back on something and say, “This [book/film/college class/set of boobs/etc.] changed my life.” So on his FB page, it had an email address.
Hey, if he didn’t want fans to email him, he wouldn’t put the address out there. Right? Now, again, you don’t want to put people up on pedestals. Many times they do not survive the fall when they crash down to reality. But I sent a politely worded email to Mr. Salvatore and tried not to gush too much.
Imagine my surprise when he emailed me back… And not some form letter. He actually took the time to write me back. That is a pretty cool thing. And we have exchanged several emails since. I was going to be an eternal fan of his anyway but to know that he appreciates his fans… that just cements it even more.
Life is all about lessons. You cannot imagine my excitement when R.A. Salvatore popped up in my email inbox… When it comes to fan mail or if I ever am popular enough to make into the comic book convention circuit, I am going to remember how important it is to be accessible and friendly to fans. I probably would have been that way anyway – Mrs. Foley’s baby boy could not be any other way. But it is always nice to get some reinforcement.
I would liked to be trapped in an elevator with. Vin Diesel was tops in the list because we go to the same barber and I want to do a CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK comic book. But what if I actually got a chance to meet Vin and he blew me off or was a total jerk. It would sour all of my feelings for him – wouldn’t be a fan anymore. Hans Zimmer? Joe Quesada? Stephen Colbert? How would it change my feelings if they were jerks?So with MySpace dying, I converted over to Facebook. I have become fans of several famous people, one of which was Seth Grahame-Smith, after reading his book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Curious to see what other writers might be on the list and having just finished The Ghost King, I looked up my #1 favorite author of all time. I have what I call my Magnificent Seven – the seven people who have influenced me the most creatively. Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Smith, and topping the list is George Lucas. (I know that is only six.) Lucas tops the list in the number one category. But imagine my surprise when I found #2 on my list on Facebook…
The #2 slot belongs to a gentleman named R.A. Salvatore. Salvatore is not the household name that others are on the list. Although most people might not know Lee or McFarlane. Google or Wikipedia them. I can’t do everything for you! Salvatore is a New York Times Best Selling Author who created the character of Drizzt Do’Urden. Salvatore made me want to write. In all his book dust jackets, they talk of how The Lord of the Rings changed his life. I always wanted to meet him, shake his hand and say, “The Crystal Shard changed my life.”That book put me on the path to becoming a writer. There is no doubt about it. I think it is a rarity where you can look back on something and say, “This [book/film/college class/set of boobs/etc.] changed my life.” So on his FB page, it had an email address.
Hey, if he didn’t want fans to email him, he wouldn’t put the address out there. Right? Now, again, you don’t want to put people up on pedestals. Many times they do not survive the fall when they crash down to reality. But I sent a politely worded email to Mr. Salvatore and tried not to gush too much.
Imagine my surprise when he emailed me back… And not some form letter. He actually took the time to write me back. That is a pretty cool thing. And we have exchanged several emails since. I was going to be an eternal fan of his anyway but to know that he appreciates his fans… that just cements it even more.
Life is all about lessons. You cannot imagine my excitement when R.A. Salvatore popped up in my email inbox… When it comes to fan mail or if I ever am popular enough to make into the comic book convention circuit, I am going to remember how important it is to be accessible and friendly to fans. I probably would have been that way anyway – Mrs. Foley’s baby boy could not be any other way. But it is always nice to get some reinforcement.
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