I was just wondering if anyone else has had any luck trying to contact an author and, and if so, how was the experience.

I first e-mailed Kathleen Givens about two months ago.  I loved her book "On a Highland Shore" and couldn't wait to read the sequal, which was supposed to be about the sister of one of the main characters.  But instead "Rivals for the Crown" skipped a generation and focused on their children.  It was still a great book, but I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to read the story that was hinted about at the end of "on a Highland Shore".  So I wrote to Kathleen Givens to ask why this was, and she was wonderful.  She said many people had expressed the same concern, so she was now in the process of writing that story.  Since then, I have recieved probably 5 e-mails from her (2 today), and in each one she is so sweet, and loves the encouragement she gets from her fans.  I just thought this was such a nice thing to be able to communicate with an author who I admire, and not feel as though I am bothering her, but instead feel appreciated that I contacted her.  This is the only author I have ever contacted, beause I was always a little intimidated and thought they were two busy to respond, so it just makes me like her even more that she takes the time out of her day to respond to her fans.

I've heard other people say they have had good luck communicating with authors, so anyone else have an experience to share?

Too many authors to name but it's been my experience that most authors will respond to fan mail. The only author who has stuck out as never having responded to a request was Mary Balogh. This was back in 1990 before I was on the internet and before Balogh ever hit the NY Times list. I sent a snail mail expressing my admiration for her books and requesting a print out of her backlist as they were hard to find even back then. Never heard from her.

The only instance where an author emailed me on her own iniative was Connie Rinehold (aka Eve Byron). There used to be a nice romance communitity with lots of published authors on AOL and we were both members then. One day, we were speculating on who will be the heroine of her upcoming book. Connie was keeping it a great secret. I thought it was obvious who the hero was going to be and expressed hope it wasn't going to be her because she has been a real dumb blonde throughout the series. Connie emailed privately to tell me that i was right but that she hoped that I would keep an open mind about the pairing. I cant see an author doing something like that anymore.

I've heard back from Gena Showalter, Robyn Carr and Melissa Mayhue - ALL extremely nice people!  Gena Showalter especially - she really cares about her readers.

Sherri

I've contacted many authors over the years, mostly by email. I've only ever had one who didn't respond. But since I sent my question through the publisher, I can't be sure he received it.

I've contacted authors to sign certain books. They have been happy to do so. I've also talked to a few authors through discussion forums on Amazon and historicalfiction.org.

Like anyone looking to do a good job, they appreciate constructive feedback.

I actually have quite a few authors as friends on MySpace and I've messaged back and forth a couple of times with a few of them, they can be really nice. One that sticks out is Catherine Mann, I had read one of her books and was wondering if there were more to follow it, she was very helpful. Judy Merrill Larsen is another one that's really nice:)

I've also emailed a few of them, Julie Garwood being one. I asked her if she was going to continue The Bride and The Wedding...she responded that she had to write a couple of more contemporaries, then she was going back to historical, just not the series I was hoping for:)

I've only had one sorta bad experience, and that was Millie Crisswell...I had asked which of her books were connected and she kinda got snooty about it, all of her books stand alone, yada yada, even though she had 2 that were connected by characters.

I've heard back (email) from Robyn Carr, Stevi Mittman, B.J. Daniels and I think Jacqueline D'allesandro or something like that..Iliked one of her Duets story and emailed asking if the other guy in that story had his own story(unfortunately no...)

He's not a romance novelist (ha,ha) but years ago I had an interesting contact with Frederick Forsythe.  I wrote an analysis of his novel The 4th Protocol when I was a senior in high school.  Writing was always my thing and the teacher I had was a pretty cool guy (he was a millionaire who taught one class per semester for $1).  Unbeknownst to me, he decided to forward it on to Mr. Forsythe.  Boy was I surprised one day near the end of the year when he handed me a nice thick letter from England in return.  It was cool, he'd written me several typewritten pages that responded to my analysis in detail (yes, you were right about that, actually at that point what I was really thinking was..etc.)  Very cool.  I've kept it in a hard copy ever since. 

Sara

i sent an 'i love your books!' kind of note to Anne Bishop immediately after finished the Black Jewels trilogy (which i read back to back after a frantic lunchtime trip to the bookstore to pick up books 2&3 after finishing #1 the night before), and she replied saying thank you and hoping i liked the Gaian series as much.

that's the only one i remember, though i may have sent notes to other authors.

Robin Schone was very nice and responded, even answering questions, so was Laura Kinsale & Syvia Day.  Just get automatic responses form Lisa Valdez.

I've only just recently contacted two- Robin L Rotham and Angela Knight ( who wrote a book under the name Anastasia Day that I wanted info on) and they were both great.

I sent an email to Katie MacAlister letting her know how much I loved Men In Kilts.  She sent a lovely email back.  She also interacts with her fans on her messageboard and does chats with her fans.

I've had some lovely exchanges with Marsha Canham via her myspace page.  She's just a doll, btw.  She's about the only author I've ever bothered to initiate a conversation with, and I was actually surprised when it happened.  I check in on her site from time to time because she'd been on indefinite hiatus for a few years, but I just got into the habit of checking every so often to see if she had any plans to start writing again.  As everyone knows, she's my favorite writer.  I followed the link to her myspace page, and found out she was writing & in the middle of a project, and left a message to the effect that I was practically peeing myself.  Well... I didn't exactly put it that way, but it's pretty much what I was doing:P   Of course I gushed all over her like an idiot, later thinking I sounded like Annie from Stephen King's Misery, and feeling a little green.  I was sure she'd think I was a nut because I told her I had everything she'd ever written, along with some other inane babbling.  Anyway, she messaged me back, talking about the upcoming book she's working on & asking about my collection, and acting like she was really flattered - and I just I about fainted.  We messaged back & forth a couple of times about her books, and how pricey some of the out of print ones are on ebay, and she's joking the whole time about selling hers:P  I dunno if I'm getting across what I'm trying to say here...  but I was talking to someone who I greatly admire.  I think she's a very gifted writer, I love her books, and I was nervous as hell, because I wanted to make a good impression in the midst of letting her know how highly I regard her and her writing.  And she was just this lovely, gracious lady about it.  It was like talking to a neighbor I'd run into at the grocery store or something.  Joking around, that sort of thing.  She's a bit of a clown - very funny - and so gracious.  And now I pop in on her myspace every couple of months or so and say hi or something... and I don't feel like Annie... OR a blithering idiot. 

I've never even thought about emailing an author.  I guess it should have occurred to me that, yeah, most authors are online these days and probably do respond to fan e-mails.

I do know an author personally.  I didn't know she'd written a book and published it until it all happened last year.  I'm just thrilled for her, the book is fabulous.  She's still just my friend though that I've known for several years.

It's really weird, but my 3 favorite authors completely do not exist on the internet.  Could you imagine?  I love Maggie Osborne......no website..........Penelope Williamson........no website and LaVyrle Spencer.....no website.

I met Madeline Hunter, Sarah McCarty, Lisa Kleypas, Teri Brisbin, Hannah Howell, Eloisa James, Beth Ciotta and Roberta Gellis.

I've emailed and heard back from (numerous emails) Patricia Oliver (Regency romance author) several years ago. More recently, C.L. Wilson (Lord of the Fading Lands, Lady of Light and Shadow), who was very prompt in responding and not just with the standard "glad you enjoyed my books".   I know I've recently emailed another author who responded but I'm blanking at the moment.  One I emailed who never responded was Kathy Love.

Not sure if anyone here has read him, but I sorta know Silas House (he wrote "Clay's Quilt").  His daughter attended one of the schools where I work and his wife subs there occasionally.  BTW, he's known as "Dwayne" locally.

I have contacted two authors and both responded right back.  I contacted Robyn Carr to see if her Grace Valley series would be re-issued and she email me back to tell me it was and when.  I also emailed Joanna Bourne to ask about her book Her Ladyship's Companion and if it would be re-released.  I also told her that someone was selling one at amazon for 150.00.  I actually got two emails from her and this was her response.

I really loved Spymaster's Lady.  I really can't wait to read more from her.

I've talked to a bunch, either by emailing them or being in chats with them. Almost every week at my group blog we have author chats.

I've met a bunch as well.

I belong to another reading message board and we do BOTM picks. We did Dark Lover by JR Ward and one of us e-mailed her to let her know that her book was picked and she came by and posted a few times. I also e-mailed her and heard back a couple of times. She seems very fun and real.

We also did the same when Cheyenne McCray's first Magic book came up for BOTM and she came by as well.

I belong to the Yahoo group for Alyssa Day and she is always there and very sweet.

yea Yahoo groups are a good way to talk to authors. I belong to a few authors groups, and also if publishers have one.... I'm on one for elloras cave and samhain, and a lot of authors talk on them.

Bertrice Small has her own site and is interactive on it from time to time as well as her email is always open for comments or questions.  The last time I had an email from her is when her grandson was in the hospital for MERSA.