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Tamora Pierce, definitely! I met her at a book signing, and she was just sooo funny. Or maybe Stephanie Perkins. Also a funny, charismatic person.

Meg Cabot or Neil Gaiman (especially after his awesome Tumblr post about how to seduce a writer.) Here it is, if you haven't seen it already, http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/18932682858/as-requested-by-too-many-people-making-the-last-post

No time for friends. Barely have enough time to keep the wife happy. And keeping up with the two sons takes time, too. Oh, don't forget the time needed for writing. And then there's that day job...

David Sedaris would be fun - snide comments as we'd walk in the park

Lev Grossman. Because while he would intimidate me at first, he's so self-effacing and just plain HUMBLE that I could chill out enough (eventually) to enjoy myself.

I'm pretty much already friends with my favorite authors. Andrew Smith, A.S. King, Joe Lunievicz, Shaun Hutchinson. Now, granted, I've only met two of them IRL, but it's only a matter of time.

Oh, and Heather - I met Tamora at WFC last fall, and you're right, she is absolutely hilarious, and uber-cool.

I would like to hang out with Brandon Sanderson. He seems like a pretty chill guy.

As far as the living go, I'd love to hang out with John Green. But if the dead are available too, I'd kill to spend an afternoon with Vonnegut.

No time travel - eh? So this has to be someone living now.

Then, Diana Gabaldon would be my choice. I met her at a writer's conference and she impressed me very much with her warm friendly manner.

I like her writing and also Neil Gaimon's (second choice),thanks for that link - Jory, to How to seduce a writer)

It's a nice daydream, anyway.

Diana Gabaldon so I can pick her brains about writing. Add the fact that the lady has a seriously funny sense of humor.

You. OK, now that the kissing up is over, I'd like to hang out with Stephen King, but that's not a completely original answer. Like Jory said, Neil Gaiman seems like a cool guy. I also think Brandon Sanderson would be a nice guy to talk to about fantasy writing a bit.

I'm thinking Dinner Party.

Denis Johnson. He seems like a lot of fun. (And I'd REALLY love to write like him.)

Plus Bill Lychack and Dave Yoo. Oh, I already am. Haha. It's nice to have some great writer friends.

Ian Rankin, we'd go for a beer in a really old pub and talk about Edinburgh

I would love to be friends with Brandon Mull or James Owen. They both have qualities I look for when associating with others.

Definitely, definitely Patrick Rothfuss. Not only is he an uber-geeky fanboy, he also is clearly the sweetest human being alive, as illustrated by this story:
http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2012/07/a-happy-ending/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PatrickRothfuss+%28Patrick+Rothfuss%29

And he has an adorable baby boy named Oot. OOT! Seriously Patrick, let's do tea sometime.

I'd like to drink a beer with Dave Barry. And maybe blow up a toilet or something afterwards.

John Green.

Hilary Mantel - when I finished "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies", I was desperate for more of her insight into the fascinating life of Thomas Cromwell. I would want to be her friend so that I could get a sneaky read of the third book.
I wouldn't mind Phil Rickman as a friend either, he spins a pretty good tale.

I agree with Cixxi. I've met Ian Rankin several times (I used to live in Edinburgh), and he's very congenial.
I'm good cyber-buddies with Brigid Kemmerer; I'd like to go to lunch with her in person sometime.

STEPHEN KING. And yes, his name must be in all caps.ha

I want to hang out and drink a beer with him...but only in the daylight.

What, and spoil all my favorite books?

JK Rowling because someone with an imagination like that must be pretty awesome to hang out with!

And Veronica Roth - I have so much respect for her, she's the same age as me and has achieved so much... plus from what I gather in her blog posts we're pretty scarily similar so it'd be cool to hang with her!

Besides Juliette Wade, whom I'm already on chatting terms with and would love to finally meet in person, and her buddy Janice Hardy, I'd love to be friends with Jim C. Hines, Mercedes Lackey, and Gail Carson Levine. They are some neat people!

John Green!

Can I say Nathan Bradford, or is it too sucking-up?
Seriously, those who make the best friends are not necessarily the best writers. I recall Isaac Bashevis Singer saying he might cross the street to have coffee with Tolstoy, but he wouldn’t go to Flatbush.
Writers are not their books.

Sarah Rees Brennan (YA author of The Demon's Lexicon series and forthcoming Unspoken) - she is extremely funny on social media and I would love to talk to her in person.

No doubt about it- Neil Gaiman. He seems funny, interesting, and, what is often difficult to find in successful people, gracious.

Too many to choose from to be honest. You seem like a cool guy :)
Taherah Mafi seems pretty neat and good down-to-earth attitude.

I think most (all) authors (published or not) kind of intimidate me a lot...so if I see someone that seems more down to earth, that is what attracts me.

- Jill

I wish I could be friends with John Scalzi. I've followed his blog long enough to know that we share a very similar outlook on life, and we aren't far off in age.

Margaret Atwood.

Dave Eggers and, if we're getting creative, Kilgore Trout.

I want to be friends with Jen Lancaster, because her books are so funny. She also lives in the Chicago area, which is where I live, so we'd actually get to hang out. I got her autograph once at a book signing, but I was too shy to tell her how much her work meant to me.

Alive: Bret Easton Ellis for sure, although I have a feeling he could get to be one of those challenging type of friends. Dead: David Foster Wallace, although...yeah him too. Let's just go with Dr. Seuss.

Scott Westerfield, but since he trips back and forth between here and Australia, I'd like to catch him in Australia ... then I could visit the young art student illustrating the cover to my book too!

Tahereh Mafi, definitely. Her tweets always make me giggle. She seems like she'd just be a genuinely, fun person to be friends with!

Beth Revis definately. We write the same genre, her blog's both informative and hilarious, and she seems like she would be just plain awesome to hang out with. (Isn't it interesting that after reading someone's blog for so long, you feel like you *know* them?)

If I can go back in time, Hemingway (but really only if the rumor is true that he kept boxes of grenades. Grenades?!) And only at the end of his shortish life. I have a thing for cantankerous old men.

If not, then Milan Kundera.

Or J.K. Rowling.

Or Judy Blume (but only over pedicures. I think she'd be delightful in the next chair).

PS Thanks for the link to the interview; made me want to buy the book, especially after living in Jerusalem last year.

Jackson Pearce has great videos on youtube and she seems like a really fun person. I haven't read her books yet, but I did get one out of the library today!

So many great suggestions already: Beth Revis, J.K. Rowling. Neil Gaiman, Tahereh Mafi... I agree with ALL of these.

I'd also like to name two women whose books I haven't actually read, but based on their Twitter feeds and blogs alone, they have almost in tears laughing:

Maureen Johnson and Jenny Lawson (aka, The Bloggess)

You, of course!

And then perhaps Christopher Paolini. I'm on a medieval literature kick right now, and am reading The Inheritance Cycle. So I think he'd be cool to meet and "dinner party" with. :)

Maggie Stiefvater! I adore her.

I always thought it would be cool to be friends with Veronica Roth.

I'd have to say either Ann Patchett or David McCullough - admire the writing, the research and the humanity. However, to make a friend who would come with me on vacation, definitely Bill Bryson.

I've met China Miéville briefly (at a convention). He was a cool dude. Seemed like he'd be fun to hang out with but would totally wipe the floor with me if the conversation turned to politics or economics. Even if I agreed with whatever he was saying, he just exudes an intelligence that is intimidating.

I'd love to meet Vonnegut or Robert Charles Wilson, but on a personal level, Justine Musk and Gail Carriger were pretty awesome to meet. I wouldn't mind getting to know them more.

Andrew Vachss & Anna Salter

I'd like to have lunch with EL James. She's a dare devil and writes what she wants. I loved her interviews. She seems down to earth, funny and humble. Oh, and I love her writing, even her books are fun.

There are many other authors I'd like to hang out with, but too many to mention. Roald Dahl is dead, unfortunately.

Charlaine Harris for sure! I'm an urban fantasy junkie and her style of writing is a huge inspiration to my own writing.

If I had the pleasure of meeting more writers, I'd add Kim Harrison and Laurel K. Hamilton to the list.

I really can't pick just one.

John Green because I feel we have a similar sensibility and he's smart and funny and also lives in the midwest.

I'd like to have cocktails or espresso and conversation on a regular basis with Joan Didion because she's so wise and sophisticated and New Yorkish.

Nathan Bransford because he's such a cool guy and I'm certain we could have plenty of laughs and good discussions about television. I'm happy to bowl, too. Or table tennis? Darts? Come on over for some German board games and oatmeal stout.

Gillian Flynn because she seems so witty, dark, interesting, and just awesome. I want to be in her world.

Because of my mentor, I've had the pleasure of spending time with some amazing writers, most of all, Ray Bradbury (and for that time to be more than once in a lifetime makes me a beyond fortunate person). I'd love to have a cup of coffee and a piece of pecan pie with Rick Bragg, then run off for a Midori Sour with A.S. King.

I'd have to say the author of the Jacob Wonder books. Reasons are because of his intellectual side which promises great converations and monologues. And secondly, and just as importantly, because I perceive him to have qualities and great judgement which would make for a long-lasting friendship.

Stephen King without a doubt.

You. Oh, wait. We're already friends, right?

Mira.

Seriously, I'm friends with most of the writers I admire, as I've found many "famous" writers are, in fact, human beings, and socially approachable.

But: Chuck Palahniuk, as I think he's cutting-edge experimental and brilliant. And Dave Eggers only because I've heard good things about him as a person.

I think it only natural that writers, like other artists, form some relationships with other artists, whether they be literary, visual, or even performance-based. In addition to writers, I count among my friends actors, producers, and a few errant doctors, mechanics, and painters and photographers.

If we could time travel, I'd just hang around at L'Rotund in Paris and wait to see who showed up. Or some how wrangle and invitation to the Steins' Saturday salon...

I think it is important to try and make contact with people you admire. Not in a stalking way, but as essentially an apprentice wanting to learn from masters. It's hard being in a vacuum, and even hermits occasionally need to emerge for food and light...

But as you can tell, I've never really had a problem approaching people. Getting them to not run in the opposite direction, however, has been problematic.

Neil Gaiman. He is witty, warm, and looks at life sideways. And our tastes in music and fiction are the same.

Neil Gaiman. He's witty, warm, and looks at life sideways. He and I also share similar tastes in music and fiction. I really hate proving I am not a robot as the words or numbers are usually twisted. This is my 3rd attempt at proving my humanity! :-)

I'm always so sad that Gerald Durrell died before I could meet him. I'd have loved to go with him on some animal collecting expedition to Madagascar.
I get to meet a lot of real live writers, and I have to say that all the children's book writers I ever talked to were fabulous, fun and friendly. And quite a wild bunch when allowed to dance and drink at a hippie hop party.

Tamora Pierce, Neil Gaiman, and my friend KD Sarge (she's a new author who's wholly self-published but she rocks). Wish I could've gotten to meet David Eddings, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffrey.

A dinner party is a great idea! Adriana Trigiani cooking, Nick Horny in charge of music, Jen Weiner making fun of the music, and David Sedaris telling everybody what they're doing wrong. I can't wait!

Terin, thanks. I'm blushing. And right back atcha. :)

For other authors:

Fiction: I'll leap on the J.K. Rowling bandwagon.

Non-fiction: I'd love to hang out with Jon Stewart.

Lionel Shriver!

Snooki

It would have to be Neil Gaiman. He's not only an amazingly creative person across so many outlets but he's also entertaining with a dry wit.

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Umberto Eco.

After reading Travels with a Salmon *and* The Name of the Rose.

Definitely Umberto Eco.

William Gibson I'd say, the man is still really interesting and relevant. No one will ever beat the sprawl series for me...

Diana Gabaldon and Neil Gaiman!

I would love to hang out with Jim Butcher. From the interviews I've read he seems completely wacky and hilarious so it would make for a really awesome night.

Definitely Tim Dorsey! I think a trip around Florida with him would be most interesting.

Erin Morgenstern -- I loved The Night Circus, and I am always stunned by her imagination.

I'd like to head out to a shooting range with Robert Crais and his Joe Pike character. The targets would preferably be real bad guys. Fire up the old .308, shoot a few rounds, then toss back a few beers.

Tahereh Mafi. So. Much.

Also, Charles Yu.

Definitely Lauren DeStefano. Various reasons including her writing and this vlog she posted about goodreads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj8MNOgR_gQ wait for the giant killer bee puppet at the end.