Meeting Terry - Your Experiences

[Tonyblack]

I can't remember if we have ever done this before, but if we have it was so long ago that we may have new experiences to add.

Simple question: have you met Terry Pratchett and what were your experiences?

I've met him on several occasions. The first time was on December 7th 2004 at the Criterion Theatre in London where he was being interviewed as part of the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts. He did a signing session afterwards. I didn't have any particular question for him, but I thanked him for his books and for all the friends I'd made online because of them. He asked me if I'd ever been to an event before (such as Clarecraft etc.) and urged me to go to one as they are great fun.

The following year I went to the Clarecraft camping event and had a great time. Terry was there for most of the weekend scrounging bacon sandwiches and singing the Ankh-Morpork National Anthem to a few of us.

 

[pip]

Met him in Trinity at a staff event.
Pretty much thanked him for all the books and told him what my favourites were.
He asked what i was teaching in and went blank when i said Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographical information science. Most people do.

 

[Dotsie]

Met him a couple of times a book signings and whatnot, but the best time was when me & pooh found his phone at DWCon, and I won the wrestling match for the honour of returning it to him Can't believe I didn't get his number off it first Even if I could never ring it without fear of a restraining order

 

[Dotsie]

He asked what i was teaching in and went blank when i said Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographical information science. Most people do.

So, you make maps then?

 

[pip]

He asked what i was teaching in and went blank when i said Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographical information science. Most people do.

So, you make maps then?

Pretty much

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

First was in Birmingham September 1985 in the bar on a Friday night at FantasyCon, then next morning I was sitting at breakfast early when Terry came in and asked if he could join me, and that was before he was mega famous as I asked him about the COM then he told me he had written LF, since then I have met him many times over the years.

 

[Catch-up]

I've met him a few times but have never really said anything. I get too star struck. The best one was at the first NADWcon when he came into the dealer's room and I was helping to cover the Cunning Artificer's booth while they did talks. He said something like, "Typical Bernard. Skiving off and leaving someone else to do the work." All I could do was stand there with a giant, manic looking smile on my face. I think I made him nervous. I'm sure he backed up a step or two.

 

[Kin Arad]

Don't worry Catch-up, I'd have done the same.
A teacher at my school once got creeped out because my friend and I were looking at him, he said we were like the twins from The Shining or something

 

[raisindot]

I met him once, but we have 'conversed' via email several times.

He had emailed me following a post about The Fifth Elephant I had put up on the old alt.pratchett group. We went back forth a few times in the discussion, and when I learned he was coming to Boston (I believe this was in 2004) I suggested that I interview him for our newspaper. He suggested I contact his agent, which I did via email, and the man never got back to me.

He gave a speech at a local university and we spoke for a few minutes in the signing line. He was sorry that the agent never got back to me, but signed two books, including one of the Corgi paperbacks. He looked at the cover, shook his head, and said, "Ah, the Kirby covers."

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

It was in 2004 Raisin I was at that one

 

[Tonyblack]

At the 2006 Hogswatch Event in Wincanton, I was using the urinal in the town hall toilet when Terry came and used the one next to me. I decided that then was probably not the time to strike up a conversation.

 

[The Mad Collector]

That's happened to me as well Tony, maybe he spends a lot of time in there. He did say that if I didn't mind he wouldn't shake my hand at the moment I've met him many times over the years so picking out any single occasion is difficult.

 

[=Tamar]

I don't remember which was the first time. I've met him at various science fiction conventions, starting some time in the 1990s. I listened to him talk in 1990 at the Hague (ConFiction was the convention name). I'm pretty sure it was in 1997 he bought me a (soft) drink in the hotel bar in San Antonio, along with a crew of editors and people like that; the topic of discussion included fairy tales and the odd things people take for granted in them that would be shock-horror news in the front pages today. I think some of that discussion showed up in, e.g., The Last Hero and The Wee Free Men. At the Chicago WorldCon when he was up for a Hugo for a collaboration (probably the first Science of Discworld), I followed him around (not quite stalking) for much of several days. I recall trying to sing a song I didn't remember the words to, half a beat behind him. After that I got a little embarrassed and started _not_ following him around, though I've been in signings since then and most recently spoke to him at Capclave 2011, a small local convention.

 

[lawrenson]

Hi,

I'd met him many times at signings, but one that particularly stood out was when Rob became his PA.

Terry was signing at a bookshop in Colchester, and I'd got my books signed and waiting for my husband, when this bloke just DESCENDED on me, and started giving me the third degree on how long I'd been a fan, had I come far etc etc.

Scared the life out of me.

Only found out about 6 months later it was Terrys new PA

Cheers,
Karen

 

[Penfold]

I haven't met Sir Terry but I have met Rob who is very friendly and a real gent. He also invited me back for drinks with Sir Terry and a few friends after the recording of 'Museum of Curiosities' in London. Unfortunately, I had to catch a train back to Worthing and couldn't stay behind. In hindsight, I should have swallowed the cost and booked into a hotel for the night and gone home the following day. (Why, in this age of 24/7 culture and living, doesn't public transport run 24 hours a day?).

I am looking forward to meeting him at this years Con tho.

 

[Batty]

Hi,

I'd met him many times at signings, but one that particularly stood out was when Rob became his PA.

Terry was signing at a bookshop in Colchester, and I'd got my books signed and waiting for my husband, when this bloke just DESCENDED on me, and started giving me the third degree on how long I'd been a fan, had I come far etc etc.

Scared the life out of me.

Only found out about 6 months later it was Terrys new PA

Cheers,
Karen

Never met him, and he hasn't attended the Red Lion book shop for years!
If he ever does again, I'd go there to get a book splodged in red ink by him!

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Have only admired from afar in various places at the 2010 convention - mostly in the bar (or at breakfast) it must be said

 

[Sjoerd3000]

I gave Terry some stroopwafels during the 2010 con I suspect that Rob ate them all

 

[Molokov]

I first met Terry during book signing tours to Australia in 1996 and 1997. When there's a line of hundreds of people, you don't want to take up too much of the author's time, but he was polite and pleasant and signed my books - I think at the time, it was a limit of 3, so I ended up getting several books signed simply by going to multiple signings throughout the day. Many of my books have a dedication line ("Best wishes", "even more wishes", "a quantum of wishes", etc) but many more just have a signature. Terry also did an evening talk during those two tours so I got to hear him speak then as well. At one of the signings I meekly handed him my fan letter (I was an impressionable young spotty teenager, not named Kevin, at the time), and got a very nice posted response some weeks later.

The next time I met Terry was in 2007 at Nullus Anxietas, the first Australian Discworld Convention. I was fortunate enough to win a position in one of his klatches, and although I didn't get a chance to ask him my question directly ('What music do you listen to while you write?') due to other people being faster, I just asked Daniel Knight to ask it for me as he was interviewing Terry for another session at the Con later that day.

We had a Skype call with Terry at Nullus Anxietas 2 (2009), and then I saw him around at the Discworld Convention in 2010, although I don't think I directly spoke with him (although I did ask questions during the panels for most of the other guests - Stephen Briggs, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Bernard Pearson, etc). Of course Terry did manage to come to Australia again for Nullus Anxietas 3 (2011) and in amongst all the other things he did at the Convention, I was lucky enough to be seated opposite him at the table for the Gala Dinner. Due to the noise, we didn't really get the chance to talk much, although he did ask about my costume (Cephut, God of Cutlery) at one point.

And of course, for Unseen University Convivium a few weeks ago, we managed to get a Skype call with Terry & Rob teed up, which was within my purview to organise! Although I didn't speak to him much on the call beyond getting it set up (I had just run a 2-hour quiz, after all), it was fantastic and I think all the fans there who wanted to ask Terry a question managed to do so.

 

[Catch-up]

I gave Terry some stroopwafels during the 2010 con I suspect that Rob ate them all

Stroopwafels!! I love those! Discovered those while we were in Amsterdam.