Woman Bumps Into Brandon Sanderson While Shopping for His Book at Barnes & Noble

Imagine you're shopping for a novel you've been eagerly awaiting to dive into when, while browsing through titles, you suddenly look up and see the author standing right in front of you. Picture it being someone like Julia Quinn , famous for her Bridgerton series, or Nicholas Sparks, known for penning some of the most captivating romance novels to date.

How would you even react?

Well, that exact scenario became a reality for a woman at a Barnes & Noble while searching for Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson , who is known for writing science fiction and young adult high fantasy books. Not only did she meet the author, who happened to be standing next to the shelves regularly housing his books, but she also received a signed copy!

All the details of a woman's impromptu meetup with Brandon Sanderson while shopping for his book.

When Megan Moeai, who goes by @moeai.art on TikTok, went to her local Barnes & Noble in Utah, the last thing she likely expected was to run into Brandon Sanderson, the author of the book she says she was looking for — Mistborn . Mistborn is Sanderson's second book, though he’s written several others, including Elantris (2005) and The Reckoners series, with the first book of the series released in 2013.

In her now-viral TikTok , which has amassed over 4 million views, Megan can be seen approaching Sanderson after apparently having already recognized exactly who he was.“I was like, 'Who is that in front of ... I need those books!'" Megan said, recalling the moment she first noticed Sanderson's books had been taken off the shelf but the space was being blocked by the man himself.

She quickly realized who he was and was taken by surprise, though we have to admit, she kept it together pretty well for a fan!

She explained to Sanderson the book she wanted, and he guided her over to a pile and grabbed a few others. After confirming that she wanted Mistborn , he showed her the different formats available — hardcover and paperback, plus one with updated cover art.

After showing her his personal favorite, she opted for that one (obviously), and he proceeded to sign the inside of the book. He asked her if she wanted her name inside, and naturally, she said yes.

Brandon Sanderson responded to the woman's viral video of her meetup with him at Barnes & Noble.

Not only did Megan get to meet Sanderson in person, receive a signed copy of Mistborn , and garner a few million views on TikTok from their meetup, but he also responded to her viral post. In the comment section, he wrote, “It was nice to meet you, Megan. I hope you enjoy Mistborn !” Megan couldn’t leave the author hanging and replied, “Thank you for being so kind! I can’t wait to dive into your world.”

It seems she was simply at the right place at the right time. Sanderson was at the store for a book signing of his latest release, The Most Boring Book Ever .

He took to X (formerly Twitter) to share details about the signing, tagging the location of the Barnes & Noble at Commons at Sugarhouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since Megan’s location in her viral TikTok also indicated Utah, there’s a good chance that’s where their memorable encounter took place.