J.W. LYNNE AUTHOR OF BESTSELLING NOVELS WITH TWISTS, TURNS, AND SURPRISES	Connect with J.W. LYNNE on

1. Find out when and where the stars will be.

A. Movie and TV show filming locations:

If your favorite celeb is filming a movie, you might be able to meet them as they come and go from the set. You can find filming locations for movies on the Twitter account @olv or the Instagram account @olvtips

B. Special events:

Follow your favorite celebs on Facebook and Twitter. Keep your eye out for their posts about attending events in your area.

C. Movie premieres:

Many big movies now "premiere" multiple times in different cities all over the world, including New York City, Los Angeles, and London. Premieres are generally held a few days before the movie is released in theaters.

To find out when and where a specific movie will be premiering, try Googling the name of the movie and "world premiere." A good source for Los Angeles premiere dates is www.seeing-stars.com/calendar

2. Arrive early.

For most movie premieres and events, if you arrive 2-3 hours early you will find plenty of space to stand along the barricades. For highly-anticipated events, like the Hunger Games movie premieres, fans start lining up days before the event. If this is allowed, there is generally information available online a few days before the event about when and where fans will be allowed to set up camp.

3. Find a place to stand that is close to the action.

There might be options about where to stand. There is no way of knowing for sure where the best spot will be, but you can increase your chances of getting a good photo by asking a security person for suggestions on the best place to get autographs from the celebrities. If you ask them about taking photos, you might end up further away from the action, because that might be a better vantage point to photograph the celebrities. But you want to be in the photo with the celebrity. If the celebrity comes over to your area to sign autographs, they will often be willing to pose for selfies as well.

If in doubt, find the closest barricade to the red carpet area or event entrance. This will likely put you near the celebrities and all of the action.

4. Attract the celebrity's attention.

You can wear a fan t-shirt if you have/make one. It's probably best to keep your hands free so you can take that selfie. When you see the celebrity, call out their name. Of course you should use the actor's real name, not the name of one of their characters. Consider saying something nice, but very brief, about their work.

5. Hold out your camera or camera phone.

Presenting your camera helps to let the celebrity know that you want to get a selfie.

6. Stay calm.

If you act wild and crazy, the celebrity might avoid you.

7. Be ready at all times.

You might only get a split second to get a photo with your favorite star. Be sure that your camera is fully charged and ready at all times.

8. If at first you don't succeed …

Only a small fraction of fans at most events get face-time with the celebrities. But with patience and persistence, you just might get that special shot! As I overheard one fan say after getting a special photo: "Dreams do come true!"