Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival has become one of my favorite festivals in just two years. The event is super well-run and the authors have been amazing. Even with 2-3 days of events, they have been (almost) unfailingly friendly, funny, and and really inspiring. I’ve enjoyed meeting all of them, but here are a few stand-outs!

Maggie Stiefvater

There are not words for how cool Maggie Stiefvater is. She has rockstar style, writes swoon-worthy words, creates haunting music, raises a farm, and fixes/drives/decorates growlly cars. I was in complete shock about getting to meet her at the inaugural SEYA Fest. (I almost cried. But I didn’t. I did fangirl a lot.) She was hilarious and insightful and amazing.

Lauren Oliver

I read Before I Fall in high school, long before it became a huge movie, so meeting Lauren Oliver was a very cool feeling. She intro’d Replica at a panel and I just got a free copy from Paper Lantern Lit! Can’t wait to read that.

Victoria/V.E. Schwab

When I met Victoria Schwab, I had not read any of her books and I had no idea how huge she was getting, but I had enough of a clue to know that her books were making the round. She was really sweet and awesome. We had a great conversation about Doctor Who and her books and now I’ve read a lot of her stuff and I’m astonished at the cleverness and beautiful language. (I got to see her at another event [in Asheville], where she was just as lovely!)

Adam Silvera

Adam and Lauren paneled together, which was amazing and hysterical. He does a great job of mixing humor and really serious topics. Also, his books will make you cry. I saw him at SEYA Fest again this year and he was super sweet.

Becky Albertalli

Becky is delightfully adorable and such a geek and her book is awesome. I can’t wait to read Upside of Unrequited!

I.W. Gregorio

The book community has been raving about Ilene’s None of the Above, so I was delighted to see her at SEYA Fest this year. She is astonishingly accomplished and she did a great job of explaining the issue of being intersex. I haven’t had a chance to read her book yet, but it’s on my list.

Linda Sue Park

Like a bunch of kids, I read A Single Shard as a kid, so I was very excited to see that Linda was coming to SEYA Fest! I’ve become a little more accustomed to accessing the authors I read now, but it’s still astonishing to meet or Tweet at authors I read as a child.

Gwenda Bond

Honestly, I had not heard of Gwenda’s work until the inaugural SEYA Fest, where I met her and saw her in panel discussion. She had an awesomely geeky outfit and her books are riveting, so I was delighted to bring my copies to SEYA Fest ’17 for signatures! Triple Threat, the finale to her teenage Lois Lane trilogy, comes out in a month!

Cinda Williams Chima

I enjoyed The Heir Chronicles as a teenager and Cinda hasn’t been at any events near me, so meeting her at SEYA Fest ’17 was an awesome surprise. I’ve struggled with her recent series, but she is an incredibly skilled fantasy writer and I was honored to hear some of her advice.

C.J. Redwine

C.J. was delightfully sarcastic and and practical about the craft of writing. Also, she loves dragons, which is basically all I need to like someone. I grabbed The Wish Granter at the festival this year and I’m looking forward to reading it.

Which authors have you been super excited to meet?