I started reading The Wheel of Time back in the mid 90s.   The Eye of the World was recommended to me by a fellow bookseller when the series was only 2 or 3 books, but I resisted picking it up then.  My bad...

I worked in and managed bookstores for about 20 years and had the priviledge of hosting Robert Jordan at the Borders in Santa Cruz for the Knife of Dreams tour.  Mr. Jordan and his wife Harriet showed up over an hour before the event to chat with staff and sign books for store stock.  The signing was engaging, of course, and it was great fun to watch the author dole out RAFOs and educate over eager fans.  I've never had a better experience with an author (and that isn't necessarily just because I was a fan).  Our staff was heartbroken when we heard the news of Mr. Jordan's diagnosis and again with the sad news of his passing.

I'm also the webmaster and editor of Michael Whelan's website.  I was amused to find my name mentioned in the AMOL cover art speculation thread here on Dragonmount based on insider comments I made about the cover art on TOR.com.  Michael asked me for feedback as he was finishing up the cover illustration.  I had the opportunity to view the finished painting (wow!) and review his production art for AMOL when I visited in June.  Quite a bit of that art is now on view on our site in a "making of" gallery for A MEMORY OF LIGHT.

http://www.michaelwhelan.com/into-shayol-ghul/