My first meeting of the master was in NYC. It was the closest visit Clive made to the New England area. He was on his book signing tour for "Sea Hunters II" at the Barnes and Noble store in NYC. A buddy and I took the comuter train from New Haven Ct to Penn Station in NYC then took 2 subway trains to the upper west side for the signing. I wanted to take all the books I had for signing but it wasn't practical so I brought the "number certificate" for my Doxa watch to the signing. There were people with suitcases of books for signing, some of which I'm sure ended up on eBay "BOOO" Anyway I hung around after the event and was able to have a great visit.
I recently flew to Scottsdale AZ for the first stop on the "TO" tour and had a chance to see him again, he remembered the NYC meeting so that was a thrill for me!! He's a great guy!!!! Any others had the priveledge of meeting him? I know I'll never forget mine!!! JimO

Great topic Cussler Fanatic !

I met Clive Cussler soon after you did on the Trojan Odyssey promotion tour. I flew into San Diego and met him at the maritime museum and spent time with him having a few drinks and a chat. While I was there I got friendly with the staff and they took me and my wife for a private tour of the ship they used for the filming of Master and Commander.

Next day we met Clive at the railway station and boarded a train to LA. I got a few books signed and I also presented him with book that I thought he would find interesting. He later wrote me and thanked me for the book which was about the HMAS Sydney loss in WW2.

From LA we continued to San Francisco with the tour and I got to talk with him about a lot of different topics including Sahara.

Talking with him was like chatting with an old friend. I'll never forget that unique experience of meeting the good Dr. Cussler.

Cheers :)

No! :(

But If i ever have a Celebrity dinner party he will be someone I will invite!

I would love to sit down and just converse with Mr. Cussler. Someone with his wealth of knowlege would be a great conversationalist.

Like a few other lucky Clive Cussler fans, I was on the December 4th Amtrak Trojan Odyssey Book Tour train trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Earlier that week, I was lucky enough to meet Cussler at a signing at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California. That was a fabulous experience, but paled in comparison with the one-on-one access I found available on the Amtrak.

To set the stage, imagine a 13-hour train trip up the California coast with an international best-selling author, his publicist, his publisher's publicist, a vice president for Amtrak, a few cops in riot gear, and group of rabid Dirk Pitt fans (some of whom had traveled from as far away as Perth, Australia). Add in a few martinis, a wine tasting, two book signings, bewildered travelers who'd never heard of Clive Cussler, and casual conversation in the first class lounge with the master of seafaring adventure, and you've got the trip of a lifetime.

I booked a sleeper cabin with my then girlfriend, Lucretia, telling her we were taking a romantic trip to San Francisco. I'm not really sure if I mentioned the two extra suitcases of books we'd have to lug along, but beggars can't be choosers can they?

Anyway, we boarded the train around 10:00AM and were underway shortly thereafter. Around 11:00AM, Cussler began his first signing. Not one to let a good opportunity pass me by, I grabbed my first suitcase of books back and made my way back to the last car on the train. I grabbed a seat across the aisle from Bruce Kenfield. We waited in the back of the car since we wanted to let everyone else get through the signing first. When my turn finally arrived, a very sweet woman helped organize and hand me books as I placed them under Cussler's blazing pen. I had a very unique item signed then--one of my antique Ford Tri-motor photos. He inscribed, "Dirk's Ford Tri-motor Airplane" and then signed underneath. He also signed one of the promotional fliers advertising the trip that Bruce had given me only minutes earlier.

After spending five minutes trying to fit the books back into my suitcase, I made my way back to our cabin where I stowed the luggage safely away (I wasn't going to leave it in regular baggage; the temptation would have been too much for some fans). I then spent some quality time with Lucretia while I waited for the second signing. Now, while I was away at the first signing, she had grabbed a good seat in the first class lounge. However, by the time I made it back, I was forced to stand since all the other seats were taken by Cussler fans chatting about collecting.

Cussler appeared around 3:00PM for a wine tasting that was also being held in the first class lounge. One of the fans seated next to Lucretia offered his seat to Cussler. Carole Bartholomeaux, his publicist, took a seat nearby (imagine swiveling captain's chairs). You can imagine how happy I was that I was FORCED to stand next to Lucretia's chair to keep her company.

Cussler drank a few glasses of wine (I won't be the one to say how many) regaling us with stories and answering a slew of questions from fans. He just chatted for at least an hour before he decided it was time to start his second signing. Of course that meant I had to make another trip back to our cabin for my second suitcase of books. I again waited until everyone else's books were signed and then presented my second set of books. Since I was assisted by Bruce Kenfield, the second batch of books went rather quickly. I was particularly happy when Cussler mentioned he had never seen a copy of Bizarre Colorado. A chapter from this trade paperback provides details and photos chronicling his search for the Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek. Now my copy bears his signature.

On a personal note, when he started signing my books he mentioned how he thought Lucretia was quite attractive. He also said I should make sure I "hang on to that one." That made me feel pretty great. Too bad I lost her. Anyway, Lucretia sat patiently and quietly next to Cussler all afternoon. She doesn't read fiction and had never heard of Cussler before meeting me. After I returned from my cabin where I had returned the second suitcase of books, she mentioned in passing, "I should read one of his books." That was all I needed to hear. I ran back to the cabin, grabbed my reading copy of Trojan Odyssey, and brought it back to her. I dragged her to where Cussler was signing extra "sale" copies for VJ Books. When Cussler had a spare minute, she asked him for a signature. He wrote a very nice inscription about her beauty and her nice dimples. I got some great photos. Boy was I ever stoked!

After finishing the second signing, Cussler bolted for his own cabin (and who could blame him) where he retired for a short time until dinner. At dinner, I saw he was seated with three very lucky fans who had flown across country for the Amtrak trip (and combined it with their parent's anniversary). He was there when I entered the dining car and there when I left.

I didn't see Cussler when we finally got off the train at 11:00PM, but that was a small disappointment considering the day I'd experienced. I was pretty sure Cussler was tired of looking at me anyway! After this trip, I might say that I'm a bigger fan than ever; but, that's not really possible--I reached that pinnacle long ago. Maybe it would be better if I made the simple statement, I'm a happier fan than ever.

I hope you enjoyed this narrative (and that it made you extremely jealous).

That's all I've got to say about that!

What a great story, and YES, you made me jealous!! :P

The closest I have been to Cussler is buying a signed copy of Flood Tide! They were available to whomever got there first..like the first 25 sold or something like that. I would love to hear what he would say about Treasure Hunters such as Mel Fisher. I of course would have a bunch of other questions as well.

I've been a fan since 1995. I decided that during the T.O. book tour, I would have to do whatever it took to attend a signing. I just wanted to shake Dr. Cussler's hand and get a picture.

A co-worker is also a fan so we took two days vacation and left the Chicago area at 2:30am to drive to St. Louis on Dec 10, 2003 for the Barnes & Noble signing. The doors opened at 9 am for "line tickets" but the signing wasn't until later at 7 pm.

I was first in line when the doors opened and I received ticket number one.

Meeting Clive Cussler is a highlight in my life. I truly respect him for his character, charm, creativeness and determination.

For more on my excursion, along with pictures, click on my web page:
http://community.webtv.net/rtteacher

Thanks for that great story Rob, I am so jealous!
Living in New Zealand as I do I don't think I will get the chance to meet Clive in person. Though you never do know - last year I got to meet Diana Gabaldon at a luncheon - she is another of my favourite authors.
Maybe Clive would like to visit Middle Earth sometime - I can live in hope! :rolleyes:

I was a short bit behind mm6mm6 in line for a line ticket for the T.O. booksigning. I originally had plans to go on the Amtrak tour but couldn't make it in the end so I did the next best thing and headed to St. Louis. I met mm6mm6 and his friend Greg when they were coming out the door of the bookstore. I recognized him from his picture on his website.

mm6mm6 forgot to mention that the booksigning we attended was in a snowstorm so there weren't many people in attendance - maybe 150, give or take, so we were able to tool through the line a few times, get our pictures taken and have time to chat one on one with Dr. C at the end. It was awesome.

Finally getting to meet Dr. Cussler was a truly great and memorable experience and I hope I'll get the chance again. I even made a new friend as a result of it.

I have been reading Clive Cussler since my college roommate introduced me to his work back in the late seventies. Since then, my things to do before I die goal list included, meet Clive Cussler.

A few years ago, the library of the college at which I was taking a class was in the midst of big book sale. A friend, with whom I had shared several classes, sat down and a showed me a copy of ‘Shock Wave.’ I immediately said, ”He’s my favorite author.” She chimed back, “I’ve never read anything he’s written. But I guess I should, since I’ve been dating his son off and on for a few years.” I explained how good the books are and in passing, half joking said, “If you decide to get married, I’ll be happy to do the flowers for you.”

Imagine my surprise when a few months later she told me they had set a date. And a few weeks after this, I was invited to Dirk’s house to discuss plans for the wedding and reception, still thinking I would be decorating Dirk’s home. They again surprised me with the news that the reception was being moved to Clive’s home a few blocks away and they were waiting for us to come over and see the setting.

This was my first meeting. Clive and Barbara were very gracious hosts and did everything possible to make my job easy. They gave me run of the place for anything and everything I needed to do. He even gave me a brief tour of his office, which might be better described as a library/museum of maritime artifacts, some of which seemed quite out of place in the desert setting.

As friends of the bride, my wife and I were invited to attend the wedding and reception. Again we were treated royally. During the setup, Barbara would be seen scurrying about, making sure everything was perfect, Clive trying to be helpful, but more importantly trying to not be in the way. Needless to say, it was a beautiful ceremony and a grand party. A great time was had by all.

A couple of weeks later Barbara called me to thank me for all my hard work and to let me know she had heard from the bride that I was a fan. She said I should bring my collection by for Clive to sign. Seizing the moment, I set a date and time. On the appointed morning, I arrived with my large boxes of Cussler treasures. And although he at first thought I was the handyman come to repair the door, he soon realized I was there to accept the generous offer extended by his wife. He graciously signed every copy I had, commenting along the way about some of the stories and expressing concern about what I must have paid for my first edition ‘Iceberg.’

As you can guess, this will eternally be one of my most treasured memories.

Welcome Arrowroot !!

That made for excellent reading !! Its awesome that you have personally met and conversed with so many members of the Cussler family.

One thing ... did you take a look at Clive's door that needed repair ? ;)

Cheers

Arrowroot: thanks so much for sharing. all of us love hearing stories about the man himself. We all feel like we know him so well and that he is a good friend to all of us. Your story proves that.

Arrowroot, that is such a great story. I know you will cherish that memory for the rest of your life. I would love to hear more about Clive's office. Are you still friends with Dirk's wife?
Thanks again for sharing your memories with us. Welcome to the site.
Take care
Mike

DirkPitt, I met Clive on board the Berkley in San Diego, CA as well, I think I might have seen you and your wife while I was on board;)
You didn't happen to try and give Clive a really nice looking drinking flask did you?
If that was you, nice move <_< I wish I'd thought of it.

Joe Rogan,

Thats me on the right having a laugh with Clive and a few of the staff in San Diego. I rolled up later in the night. One of the last to leave.

Cheers

Wow...I don't know when I would ever get the chance to meet Clive...I would be in awe...but I doubt there is much chance of a me ever getting to see Clive, sadly. But, I feel like when I read his books, I'm meeting him all over again, not to mention gettin in his head...or Dirk's, either way...

I Davelyn (Kiebel) Dyer--grandaughter of Gladys (Hunniewell) Kiebel. Her younger sister was Amy (Hunniewell) Cussler--yes, mother of Clive Cussler.
Clive is my 2nd cousin.
We are both "only children"--that makes us creative types.
Clive used to write commercials. He would never own up to which ones, so we used to tease that he wrote "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" or "Where's the
Beef"--now that predates some of you folks!
I have only met Clive and his family one time--they were visiting my grandparents farm in their pop-up camper.
I always kept up with the family news thru my father and his sister. Since they have both passed away, it will be up to me now!
I will send Admin. some family photos to scan for the site sometime!

My next newest ambition is to ride out for a "kissin' cousin" chat with Clive.
Perhaps a motorcycle ride to Arvada will be in order!

Davelyn,

I mentioned to Clive that we had you onboard as a member and that we'll have some family pics posted soon. Once we tell him the pics are up he just might post a reply ... fingers crossed.

Cheers ... B)

Now a personal message from Clive himself would be like meeting him all over again...or for the first time...

I have never meet him but all of your replies are awesome. I would probably pass out if I meet him in person.

As a young lad right out of high school it was my good fortune to meet Clive while he was doing research for Raise the Titanic. The full and complete story is fun and brings back great memories watching him write between customers of the dive shop where we worked.

Clive was always fun to work with and those of us that remember the dive shop days are proud to see how successful he has become. His early work even seemed to contain some familar names from those times with literary license taken of course.

I have, of course, read all of his books and his writing continues to entertain. Should Clive happen to see this I would enjoy talking to you again.

Wayne Gould
Capy235@aol.com

Welcome Capy235 !!

Great story ! Its always a treat to hear about a meeting with someone before they were famous. It would be fanastic to see any old pics of that dive shop and to know excactly where it was. From memory it was at that shop that Clive was presented with his first Doxa watch.

Cheers

Arrowroot,
Talk about being in the right place at the right time!! I'm going green with envy that you had the chance to meet and enjoy Clives company,then get him to sign all your books.
Great story.

I, sadly, have not gotten to meet Cussler. I hope that one day he might do a book signing in Central Florida.

hope He will come to Europe. perhaps I will have time to meet him. It would be great.

I first met Clive in 1981 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a book tour type of thing and I was told, that at that time, he didn't do many. I was told he was doing it as a favor to the bookstore owners.

I walked in and found "Night Probe" someplace and as I was walking to the check-out counter, there he was. Standing there all alone in a buff colored sport coat surveying the store. There was practically no one else in the place anyway, and I just walked up to him saying, "Are you Clive Cussler?

I mentioned that I was a Titanic buff and we had a great chat about the Titanic and Jack Grimm who was at that time looking for the still lost ship.

We also talked about "That Movie" which at the time was "Raise The Titanic".
He swore he would never sell another of his novels to be a motion picture. We comiserated about how the producers had blown it; as Dirk Pitt could have evolved into another cinematic, long running character, much like James Bond.

He was quite bitter about the move, which hadn't been out all that long. But times change, and I hope they do a better job with "Sahara".

I have since had to stand in line to have other novels signed. Now the lines getting longer and longer and Clive and I getting older and older. LOL.

Still, it was a very magical moment for this long time fan. A quiet bookstore and no other fans to bother us.

PM

Welcome pmyoung !

Thats incredible that you chatted with Clive at that time. Only one year after the release of the movie, Raise the Titanic, and I assume it was a book signing tour for Night Probe.

Great Story! th:

Yessir...

I was a young pup in Omaha, slipped away from my job at KMTV during "dinner" break.

And there he was.

I've met a lot of famous people in my career (broadcast TV), but the first time to talk to Clive Cussler in that almost empty bookstore....OK, I still talk about it 23 years later.

Woosh....

While my CC meeting was not quite as extravagant as some (Amtrak TO trip), I am still glad that I was able to meet and talk briefly with Dr. C. and get a couple of books signed in the process. I must have missed this thread when it began but I am certainly willing to share my experience with everyone as my wife STILL thinks I am crazy for doing what I did! :P At least maybe you guys won't think I'm nuts, especially after reading that Tony flew half-way around the world to meet Clive. I only flew 800 miles.

My obsession, as my wife would call it, began last October when I got a wild idea to see if I could find a signed copy of a CC book for my Dad for Christmas. He's the one that got me started reading CC, so I thought it would be a cool gift idea. It started with a Google and hasn't stopped since. I found the Simon Says Discussion Board, Tony's website, the Cussler Society web site, etc and from there found out about the TO book signing tour. I live in Florida and the closest place that Dr. C was coming was a suburb of St. Louis in mid-December of 2003. I figured I would look into airfare, hotel, etc and then when my wife found out how much it would be for me to get a book signed and she would make the decision for me. :rolleyes:

Much to my surprise, she agreed to let me undertake this wild hair and go! (Granted it was going to cost me about $500-$600 JUST to get there with airfare, hotel, etc...)

So, I embarked on my momentous journey with only a handful of CC books (that's all I could fit in my suitcase) eager to meet Dr. C. I was so concerned about making sure that I didn't miss the signing that I left the day before just on the off chance that there were weather issues, etc. I certainly didn't want to go to all that expense and miss the big event!

I arrived in St. Louis safe and sound and the next morning I headed off for the bookstore where the signing was to take place. I got there about 30-45 minutes after the store opened and got my ticket. I think I was about 10th in line or something like that. (mm6mm6 and jetdoctor beat me there!) After that I milled around at a nearby mall for the rest of the day, not willing to be as daring as mm6mm6 and venture into downtown St. Louis as I might never find my way back!

Late that afternoon I went back to the store and awaited Dr. C's arrival. Surprisingly there were only about 200 people at the signing. I think it was due to the inclement weather, but that was even better for those of us who WERE there. I was about 2nd or 3rd in line and was finally about to meet my favorite author that I had read for over 20 years! Beforehand, I had been reading up on other people's experiences in meeting Dr C. and all of them were right on the money! He was certainly a very kind and easy-going person. It definitely felt like I was meeting up with an old friend that I hadn't seen in years!

After I went through the line and got my few copies of TO signed, I parked myself in an easy chair off to the side and decided to hang out until Dr. C left. I mean, really, what else did I have to do? I came all that way; I figured I might as well hang out until the end. It's not like I had anything better to do! :lol:

While I was waiting, the store manager asked me about the shirt I was wearing. It was an FSU football t-shirt. She asked me if I used to live in Florida and I told her that I still did and flew to St. Louis to attend the signing. I think that was about the time that her jaw unhinged and dropped to the floor! (She's not the only one who thought I was crazy (more on that in a minute). Anyway, as the signing was starting to wind down after about an hour or so, a group of us were standing around talking and the store manager came up to me and told me she had something for me. To my shock and amazement, it was a signed poster of the TO DJ. She told me it was my "prize" for being the fan to have come the farthest for the signing. I was truly shocked and surprised to receive it and THAT was the pretty darn cool! That's definitely my coolest piece of memorabilia.

http://www.nettally.com/thowes/toposter.jpeg
http://www.nettally.com/thowes/timcc.jpeg

Then came the hard part, trying to get that poster (roughly 3'X4') back home WITHOUT damaging it. When I checked in at the airport the next day, I had 3 things with me, my suitcase, my laptop and my newly acquired TO poster. Since I was only able to carry-on two pieces with me, I'll let you guess which piece I checked!

Once I got to my seat carrying this huge poster (at least in airline storage terms), I realized that it would not fit in the overhead compartment. Luckily, I was able to get one of the flight attendants to help me secure it in the rear galley area of the plane. The funny thing is they initially thought I was some type of publishing executive since I was carrying this elaborate poster with me. I told them where I was from and what I was doing in St. Louis and you should have seen the crazy looks I got in return! It was priceless. I know they thought I was crazy, but we all are aren't we? Anyone who would spend as much time as a lot of us do chatting, putting together websites, and collecting anything and everything relating to the good doctor REALLY should get their head examined. However, I'll need to be the LAST in line...as I need to first check E-bay for any new ARCs, and then I need to check abebooks.com and see if they have anything new..oh yea..and then Alibris and Amazon and.. yike:

The St. Louis TO signing was definitely the beginning of a wonderfully addictive obsession that will hopefully consume the world with wanting to meet and be a part of the wonderful world of CLIVE CUSSLER! I know I'm certainly glad I got hooked.

Now...anyone know where I can get a copy of the Ulverscroft Large Print Mayday? I need a fix!

Cheers, w:

Tim

Now that would be something to see!!

I had a dream last night that I met CC and was talking to him, without realizing who he was!! Then it dawned on me, and he disappeared!!

Great story, Tallyfins ! th:

Thats the amazing thing about meeting Clive, you don't feel daunted or anything like it, he's like catching up with an old friend.

And I can relate to your keeping a close eye on that poster, everything non-Cussler becomes a secondary consideration. :lol:

I liked the pics too, oh, and I found a LP Mayday for you on ebay, but it was too tatty for the price.

Cheers ... p:

Thanks Tony...was that the one that recently finished at around $200US? I think I remember seeing that one. Thanks again for keeping an eye out.

Take care,

Tim w:

oh i wish i could meet Clive Cussler but i don;t think he will come up to Canada for a books signing at all :(

Met him and heard him speak at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C.

He's really a very interesting and funny man and very fun to listen to. j:

Just read these stories of a few members meeting Dr. C!!!! And this being march I am definitely green. :lol: But I am happy for all of you who have met Clive Cussler!!!! And hopefully I can meet him too. Have met a handful of authors myself so I know what it's like with that feeling of meeting someone in person who has written the books you have read. Don't know if i will ever afford collecting the books like some of these forum members and by the time I would get around to it all the good ones will be gone.. :lol:

I met Clive Cussler at the D.C book festival where he signed a few of my books and I got a picture with him j: