From My Mail

No Toys in the Fish Tank by Curren

Here are a few of my favorite lines from the mail I've answered in the past week.

I hope you keep writing such great books like Rules and Touch Blue. We are going to read Rules in the sixth grade, but I read Touch Blue, and I didn't want to wait! --Leah

The way you took real life and mashed it together with imagination was amazing. I think you had the perfect balance of real and fake. --Garrett

I am a boy who’s from Japan, lives in Bangkok and dreams to be author like you! --Gou

I hope soon you should make a book about a family who is poor and has very little money but then one of the kids becomes famous for his or her drawings and this book could be a historical fiction because the background is in the old days. I would read it. --Luci

My friend was reading your book, too, and when she was on Page 5, I was on Page 132. --Sierra

My dream is to be published. Is there anything you, as an accomplished author, could tell me about the process. I would love it so, so, so, so, so much.-- Ahmari


Photo from Ms. Hanna's Fourth Grade in Massachusetts, where they are reading RULES

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A couple weeks ago, I got a message from one of my author friends from Florida. She told me that her fourth-grade son said they were reading a good book in his class called Touch Blue. She asked if I had bookmarks I could send to the class as a surprise.  I said, "Sure!" and personally signed one to each child in his class. Then this week I got a follow up, explaining that the kids had loved them. . .  however. . .  the teacher also has an afternoon class who are reading Touch Blue, as well, and. . .

Well, there is a twin in the afternoon class that was so upset that her brother got a bookmark and not her. You would not believe how much the kids loved them, parents are still coming up to me and thanking me. [Her son] said, "People were as excited as if Dwyane Wade gave them a signed jersey!"

It's moving to see how important even a small message back from an author can be. I find it hard to keep up with the mail at times.  But I do eventually answer it all.  I can appreciate there are authors for whom that is impossible, and I hope I don't ever reach that place. I do occasionally get overwhelmed by it, but it also brings me a lot of joy.

And needless to say, I'm sending signed bookmarks to the afternoon class, too.  :-)