Being Someone’s “Must Meet”: A Reader on the Other Side of the Table

I have always been a reader.

Long before I had books of my own to sign, I knew the feeling of falling in love with a story. Of becoming attached to characters, wanting to spend a little more time in their world, and finishing a book knowing I would carry something from it with me.

There are so many authors I would love the chance to meet. P.C. and Kristin Cast, whose House of Night series has meant so much to me. Matt Dinniman, the author of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Charlaine Harris, whose Sookie Stackhouse books have given me so many hours of reading enjoyment.

I would love to stand in front of them, holding a well-loved book, and tell them what their stories have meant to me. To have a signed copy to bring home would make that connection feel even more special.

At the Manchester Craft Market Book Fair, I found myself experiencing the other side of that moment. And I am still trying to find the words for how it felt.

This was my second book fair with Manchester Craft Market, and I have felt so welcome both times. But a few conversations at this event reached a part of my heart that I wasn’t quite prepared for.

One reader told me she had looked through the website before coming and made a list of authors she wanted to visit. I was on that list. She wanted to stop, meet me, and get a signed copy of my book.

Someone had made a plan to come see me.

I know what that feeling is like as a reader. I know the excitement of having an opportunity to meet someone whose work interests you. Realizing that another person felt that way about meeting me was surreal.

I am still the reader with a long list of favorite authors. I am also becoming an author on someone else’s list. That is something I don’t think I will ever take for granted.

Another moment came when a young reader, around twelve, told me she had purchased Because of Jane at the previous book fair. She had done a book report on it. She told me she wanted to bring awareness.

I keep coming back to that. A story I wrote about my experiences had stayed with her enough that she chose to write about it herself. She wanted to help other people understand. Somewhere beyond my writing desk and that book fair table, my words had become part of another conversation.

As an author, that is meaningful. As a survivor and educator, it touches something even deeper.

Then another young teen stopped by. She had recently read A Child Called “It” and was interested in learning about my story. She went home with the complete set of my books.

These young readers reminded me that people across generations want to understand difficult experiences. They have questions. They notice things. They care about what happens to others.

My hope is that my writing helps make room for those conversations. Spreading awareness across ages has always been part of my goal. That also means thinking carefully about how we speak to people at different stages of their lives.

For young children, I want to help build that understanding with words and stories they can connect with. I have written a children’s book that is currently being illustrated, about bodily autonomy and learning to recognize the signals our bodies give us when something doesn’t feel right.

I want children to have language for their boundaries. To understand that their feelings deserve attention. To know they can speak up, ask questions, and tell a trusted adult when something makes them uncomfortable.

After more than twenty years working with children, and with everything I carry from my own childhood, this work is deeply personal. I cannot go back and give my younger self every word she needed. But I can help put those words into the hands of another child.

And I can keep telling my story for the readers who find it when they need it.

Writing about my life has sometimes meant sitting with memories that hurt. Sharing those pages means letting people see parts of me that were once hidden. At an event, I don’t always know what a person will take away when they leave my table.

This time, a few readers gave me a glimpse. A place on someone’s must-visit list. A book report written to bring awareness. A young person choosing to read my whole series. Those moments will stay with me.

To everyone who stopped to talk, asked a question, bought a book, or shared something of themselves: thank you. You helped me see my work through a reader’s eyes.

I went to the fair as an author who has always loved books.

I came home holding the knowledge that, for someone else, I might be one of those authors they were excited to meet.

That still feels extraordinary. 💜

Continue the Journey

Every book, conversation, and shared story is another opportunity to help someone feel seen. If you’d like to keep exploring my work, here are a few ways to stay connected.

📚 Read the Because of Series

Begin with Because of Jane, where a childhood doll bears witness to a little girl’s experiences of abuse, survival, and hope. Then continue with Because of Maddie: The Girl Who Said “ENOUGH” to hear Maddie’s own voice as she begins to reclaim her story.

🎶 Explore the Survivors Anthem Series

Discover the songs that have helped me find comfort, express difficult emotions, and celebrate surviving. Through personal reflections, I share how music has accompanied different chapters of my life, and invite you to consider the anthems that have carried you through yours.

Read the stories behind the songs on my blog, then listen to the Survivors Anthem Series playlists on YouTube and Spotify. Whether you need a moment of comfort, a good cry, or a reason to sing at the top of your lungs, I hope you find a song that meets you where you are.

🧵 Add Your Thread to The Jane Project

Everyone has a Jane: a doll, stuffed animal, treasured object, or source of comfort that helped them feel less alone. The Jane Project brings those stories together, creating a community connected by the things that helped us hold on. Who was your Jane? Your story can add another thread to our growing web of survivor strength.

📅 Meet Me at an Event

Visit my events page for upcoming book fairs, signings, readings, and speaking engagements. Whether you’ve read my books or are discovering them for the first time, I would love to meet you and hear what brought you to my table.

💜 Keep Reading the Blog

Explore more personal reflections on survival, healing, advocacy, writing, and the everyday joys that belong in our stories, too. Some posts hold difficult memories. Others celebrate friendship, music, books, and the moments that make life feel full.

📣 Support Safety Through My Hootie Collaboration

My advocacy extends beyond the page through my collaboration with Hootie Personal Safety Alarm.

Visit "gethootie.com" (https://gethootie.com), choose your personal safety alarm, and enter JANE at checkout for 10% off. Through this partnership, one alarm is donated for every four sold, helping extend access to personal safety tools.

It’s another way we can turn awareness into action.

🔗 Find It All Through My Linktree

Explore my books, projects, playlists, social media, and more at https://linktr.ee/shannonbrownauthor. Choose whatever speaks to you, and continue the journey with me.

Thank you for making room for my story. I hope something you find here helps you feel more connected to your own. 💜