Okay. So he didn’t look me in the eye and say “Melissa Tagg, you’re freak.” No, more like he looked at a room of 300 people and called us all freaks. But only after applying the title to himself first…a few dozen times.

And if the guy’s going to lump me into the same category as him…I’ll so totally take it! (Besides, DC Talk made said title cool for Christians a long time ago.)

Yes, I met Ted Dekker. 

Some people swoon over meeting Hollywood celebrities. Or rock stars. Or the guy standing in the lunch line so engrossed in his book that he’s completely oblivious to the activity around him. (Oh wait, that’s just me, too. Far as I know, other girls don’t develop crushes on guys just ’cause they read in public places!)

I swoon – swooned – over meeting Ted Dekker. If you don’t know Ted Dekker you should probably stop reading right here because a) you have no clue who I am (trust me, if you know me, you know who Ted Dekker is) and b) you could be reading something soooo much better…aka EVERY BOOK TED DEKKER HAS EVERY WRITTEN!

So, I met Ted Dekker. And yes, even though I got to talk to the guy in-person (re-swoon), I still feel the need to call him Ted Dekker. Seriously. He could give me one-half of one of those heart-shaped “best friend” necklaces and I’d still  address him first-name-last-name-style. Not Ted. Not T-Dog. Not Teddy. Ted Dekker. It’s just right. (Like Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Remember him? He was totally a say-the-whole-name kinda celebrity.)

Anyway, I met Ted Dekker. (I’ve said that, what, three times now. People say when something is repeated three times in the Bible it carries extra oomph, so you should feel thoroughly oomph-ed about now.) And it was fabulous-o! While I’d like to say this was a one-on-one meeting of writerly-minded peeps during which we chit-chatted about our current WIPs, it was actually a gathering of a few hundred Ted Dekker fanatics. We were treated to a morning hang-out of sorts where we got a behind-the-scene look at Ted Dekker the man, the author, the freak.

So fun!

In the afternoon, we all migrated over to a nearby Borders for a book-signing and photos. Fun fun fun!

But the morning was my favorite. I’ll be honest and admit that I attended The Gathering 2.0, as the event was titled, with the teensiest bit of trepidation. Would Ted Dekker be as cool in real life as I’d been led to believe by his 20-some ridiculously sweet books and my own somewhat exaggeration-prone imagination? Could one man possibly be as cool as I’d made him out to be in my mind?

It was the same sort of feeling I had the first time I went to a Coldplay concert. Would Chris Martin and friends be as brilliant on stage as on their album? Answer: Oh yes, my friend. Oh yes. 

And the same was most definitely true for Ted Dekker! 

See, I’m probably slightly – make that certainly totally – over-the-top crazy about Ted Dekker’s stories. And I’ve written about this before, so I won’t gush too much except to say that I truly devour each Ted Dekker book I pre-order, like a hot, cheesy slice of vegetable pizza! (Mmm…suppertime. Quaker Blackberry Pomegranate Multigrain Fiber Crisps, suddenly you’re not doing it for me anymore.) I gobble down his stories, and then more often than not, when I reach the last sentence of the last page, I take my first deep breath since I cracked open the book and then flip back and read the last chapter again. And maybe the first chapter. And the climax. And my favorite scene. (So, if we’re sticking with the veggie pizza analogy, it’s like regurgitating the pizza and re-enjoying it bite by bite. And…this analogy suddenly turned gross. Sorry.)

But now that I’ve had the privilege of listening – we’re talking rapt attention here! – to Ted Dekker talk live (uh, as opposed to talk dead? what? nevermind.), I’ve decided I’m also a fan of Ted Dekker the person. I’m challenged by his determination to explore and illustrate Truth. I’m encouraged by his perseverance. (How in the world his first few novels were rejected, I don’t know. But I’m guessing the rejectors are kicking themselves now!) I’m awed by his storytelling skills. I’m thankful for his willingness to push the envelope, ask hard and crazy questions, even push some readers’ buttons in a quest to shine the light on, well, Light…in the midst of a darkness he’s not afraid to portray on paper. 

And I’m grateful Ted Dekker took the time to give us fans who double as writers ourselves an inside peek into his head and heart. A few times throughout the event as he talked about how, for instance, he has built entire stories around one moment or image he sees or imagines, or how he has compared himself to other writers, or how writing can sometimes be a lonely venture, I heard myself think, “Me too!”  So, I may be a freak, but I’m a freak among writing freaks, it seems. And…there’s a strange comfort and even security in companied insecurity!

I met a hero this weekend, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

He called me a freak.

I feel good.

*****

-If you’re a Ted Dekker newbie and made it through this whole blog without a clue as to who I just gushed on and on about, 1) wow, and 2) please run, bike or drive to your nearest library and check out one of his insanely awesome books. I suggest starting with the first Circle book, Black. If your library doesn’t have any Ted Dekker books, commence with Plan B: 

1. Give your librarian a firm tongue-lashing. Or, just make a kind suggestion. You know, whatever suits your personality or comfort level best!

2. Choose from these three options: 

a. For the pocketbook-conscious, request the book by Interlibrary loan. 

b. Exercise great patience and order a Ted Dekker book off Amazon.com.

c. Give in to instant gratification, support your local bookstore and buy out their Ted Dekker supply.

-When I met Ted Dekker, he thought my sis Nicole and I were twins. Note: Nicole is 10 years younger than me. Flattered? Yes. 

-So, the day after I got home from Chicago, where the Ted Dekker event took place, I read his latest: The Bride Collector. AWESOME with a capital A (uh, and W, E, S, O, M, E).

-More Totally Stolen Writing Tips coming soon!