Meeting Peter Cameron

So tonight I had the honor of meeting author Peter Cameron, whose (amazing) book, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, I just read, loved, and reviewed. Peter was fantastic - a wonderful, kindhearted, and brilliant individual. I'm so excited about this experience that I want to write it down and share it with you all (I should be studying for my Shakespeare midterm but I'm too excited... shh!).

First he came into our classroom and answered all of our questions in a very casual setting. He walked in the room with a smile and was so ridiculously humble and down-to-earth. He had a certain air about him - you just immediately adore him because of his kind spirit. He was such a genuine person.

He answered many questions for us in the 45 minutes we got to spend with him as a class. He was funny, honest and open. I asked him if he had a favorite book of his and he gave an intelligent and thoughtful answer. He said that he doesn't have a favorite, but whichever book he is working on at the time is the book he feels the closest to. He mentioned how his older work is much different than his newer work, and that some of the things he wrote 20 years ago he would no longer be able to write and vice-versa.

He also spoke about his books that were made into movies. He said that they were much different than the images he had in his head while writing the stories. He also said that people get much more excited over movies than books, which is sad but true. I don't get those kinds of people. Books are the best thing in the world - or at least I think so. :)

He spoke a lot about James, the introverted and bitter 18 year old protagonist of the book. What he said about James struck a chord with me. James seems pretty down on the world in general and hates talking to people. James also loves to read, and hopes to forgo college and buy a house in the Midwest where he can read all day and educate himself. Well, what Peter said about this was that the character of James had read a lot while growing up and seems to have gotten ahead of himself as a result. I know I'm not saying this in the right words, Peter of course said it much more eloquently... but basically, I understood what he was saying so much. I really felt it.

I truly connected to the character James on a deep level. Maybe that is why this book touched me so much. James is an introvert who loves to read and feels uncomfortable in social situations. He's often pessimistic and would rather be alone then with others. I too feel really uncomfortable sometimes in social situations and often don't know what to say. There is one scene when he is on a school trip at a dinner theater where he sits by himself instead of with his classmates. I can't even count the number of times I've done extremely similar things. It's nice to know I'm not alone, even if he is just fictional.

Peter impressed me tremendously. He spoke just as eloquently as he writes. He was soft spoken and gracious, and incredbly humble. I can tell that he is a wonderful person, outside of being a wonderful author.

After the class, he did the public reading for the school and community. He read a brilliant piece from a novella that he is currently working on. The story is not yet published so I will not disclose a summary, but it managed to be both heartbreaking and funny all at once. It was beautifully written and I am certainly looking forward to reading the story in its entirety once it's published.

Afterward, he signed books. While waiting in line, I was a bit giddy and also a little shaky because I was so excited to meet him! To me, meeting an author, particularly one whose work I am especially fond of, is like meeting a rockstar. No joke. I reacted in the same way I reacted when I met Secondhand Serenade a few years back.

He was so kind. I actually e-mailed him a few days back with my review, and he remembered who I was when I introduced myself. He was so gracious. He said that my review was kind and well done which made my heart smile lol. He even mentioned about me wanting to be a librarian, which means he actually looked around my blog and everything which is awesome! Honestly, it impresses the hell out of me when authors are so gracious and nice. It makes me proud to be a book nerd!

All in all, it was just such a wonderful experience that I won't soon forget. Peter Cameron impressed and delighted me with his kindness, honesty, and brilliance. I will be reading the rest of his books as soon as possible, and will certainly be rereading Someday This Pain again in the future. It has a permanent spot on my bookshelf and in my heart. :)