Rebecca Sinclair

Who I'd like to meet:

Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, if only to see if it's true the two cousins never met in person.

Robert Burns, the Gerard Butler of his day but with a way with words. This wee lass wouldn't mind being swept away by such whisky-smooth charm.

Stephen King. I did pass him at an ABA Convention years ago, if that counts. It was on a concrete sidewalk, outside the hotel and it was summer and hot as hell. Since I tend to oogle men (strictly for professional purposes -- ahem! hey, a guy may go into one of my books some day (yeah, that's the ticket)). I noticed two men pass to my left. I glanced at their name tags (easier and less embarrassing to do on a man than a woman, think about it). One read "Peter Straub", the other "Stephen King". At the risk of giving away trade secrets, I recall being surprised by how handsome King looked in real life. So much different than his "trying-to-look-creepy" PR photos. (Aside: Although the oogle went well, I still haven't put King in a book. It's only fair; he's put himself in so many of his own, which are all written sooooo much better than all of my own.)

J.K. Rowling. I admire anyone who can get any kid to lug around an 800+ page book as if it's the hottest new first-person-shooter video game. All by herself, Rowling has gotten kids reading again. In many cases she even inspired their parents to read. Now, how cool is that?

(9.20.08) Aside: Stephanie Meyer is quickly gaining my respect and admiration for the same reason. It's so good to see kids reading again! (Even if every high school boy is muttering about (kicking dirt) never being able to live up to Edward Cullen.)

Last but not least, Jack the Ripper. Mind you, I wouldn't want to meet him (or, as in some strange theories, her) in a deserted, pitch-black alley in the East End of Victorian London in the Fall of 1888, but if someone were kind enough to lash the real perp securely to a chair -- a very uncomfortable one, (you need to be a Monty Python "No one expected the Spanish Inquisition!" fan to appreciate that one), I'd love to pick his brain...