Students seem to believe that novels appear whole cloth; the writer just types away, channeling the muse in the attic. Poetry is pure inspiration--one has the gift or one does not. Students need to know that writing is hard work, and that the blank page stares down every good writer, even authors whose books have won critical acclaim and graced the best-seller lists. Meeting living authors who sit down at their desks to write every morning, who run errands, cook, do laundry, and bring up children, who seem "normal" in every way, encourages students to read, respond, and look forward to a continuing dialogue with the writers among them, and maybe to work harder at their own craft as writers. In this article, the author discusses how to invite authors to visit the classroom and bring readers and writers together. Using examples from author visits she has arranged, the author explains the how-to's and value for students of meeting local authors.