The Day I Met Joe Hill
Posted: November 1, 2025, 23:47
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On Thursday (I was scheduled to meet him on Friday at 4:30 PM), I set out to get my copy, and I thought that Forbidden Planet, where I would meet up with him the day after, would be a great place to get a copy of the book. I would also get a chance to check out the place so I’d know where I was going and what it looked like the next day. Well, that was what I thought. Once I got there, I couldn’t find the book in the store anywhere, and I thought it must be me looking in the wrong place. The man is scheduled to be there the next day to sign his book. He can’t do that if they don’t have the book, right? Well, I asked a gentleman who worked there if they had it, and he went to look for it. When he came back, he said, “Sorry, but I can’t sell you the book. There is a signing tomorrow between 5 PM and 7 PM, and then after that we will sell any leftovers that we have, so you can come back then.”
Well, OK, I thought. I can understand that they want to have books in stock for everyone that had bought a ticket for the signing, which I hadn’t. But I didn’t sweat it. London is huge and filled with bookstores. I was sure I’d find one that had the book.
During the rest of that day I didn’t run into a single bookstore that had the book, and I started to get stressed out. I couldn’t miss the chance to get a book signed in person when I was meeting Joe Hill. So that evening I went online, and at Waterstones on Piccadilly I found one. I ordered it for Click & Collect, and a couple of hours later I got an email that the book was ready for me to pick up.
During Friday I did a bit of sightseeing and happened to run into another Waterstones bookstore. I decided to see if the book was available there, and if so, I could buy it there, cancel my other one, and save me the extra trip to collect it. They had one copy in the back that they got for me after almost five minutes of searching for it. Only problem with that was that it was already signed. Good thing I noticed. It would have been strange to arrive with a book already signed by Joe, asking him to sign it. So, on my way to Forbidden Planet, I stopped by Waterstones at Piccadilly, and thank God they had the book. It wasn’t already signed, and they allowed me to buy it. With the book in hand, I headed for Forbidden Planet and my meeting with Joe. Of course, it started to rain the second I stepped outside the bookstore. But I was prepared. I had my umbrella, and I had my plastic bag to put the book in, and both I and the book arrived safely.
I had gotten instructions from Caitlin from Joe’s publisher to wait by the main entrance at 4:15, and she would come and get me. I was there by 4:13 and waited. By 4:20 I was still waiting and got a bit nervous that I had gotten it wrong and was supposed to wait somewhere else. I texted her, and she said Joe hadn’t arrived yet, but that she would come and get me as soon as he had. Puh, I was at the right place, I was at the right spot, and at the right time. So, I waited. After a while I heard a familiar voice. “Should I just go down there? OK.” When I looked up, it was Joe himself entering the store like any shopper would, checking where he was supposed to be with the clerk, and then went past me and down one floor. It felt so unreal that I didn’t even react. I just looked at him as he passed. And in fact, no one else seemed to realize that Joe Hill had just passed them. Very strange. I waited some more, but now I wasn’t nervous that I was in the wrong place — now I started to get a bit nervous that there wouldn’t be time for me to interview him before he was due upstairs to sign books for everyone that was lining up.
While I waited, I met some people I knew and some I didn’t know before but got to know then, and then it was time. Caitlin fetched me, and we went downstairs and into a backroom where I was told to wait — Joe was on his way.
When he arrived, there were also a few of the staff with him carrying books. Those were the staff’s books that Joe was asked to sign, and he did. I quickly understood that Joe is one of those authors that really takes the time to sign a book — he doesn’t just scribble his name and be done with it. I didn’t see what he wrote, but I did see that he took the time to sign and dedicate each and every one of the books. Just like we fans want it. Then it was my turn. My turn to interview Joe Hill face to face.
READ THE INTERVIEW HERE
The interview went great, and Joe answered all my questions, and not once, even though there were a lot of fans waiting to get their books signed one floor up, did Joe feel stressed or make me feel like I had to hurry up with my questions. He took the time to answer everything, and he was a joy to interview.
Once I was done, I asked if he had time to sign my copy of King Sorrow, which he did. As with all the other copies I saw him sign, he didn’t just sign his name but also wrote a great inscription and he drew a dragon. After that we took a picture, I thanked him for everything, and he went upstairs to sign books and chat with his fans for two hours. I can only hope that all of you had the same good experience as I did.
Big thanks to Joe and Caitlin for making this happen. I really appreciate it.
