An enlightening experience

I like to send out emails to people asking them specifically what they liked and didn't like about my books. I do this so that I can become a better author. It's entirely selfish, I admit that.
But today I had a very sobering, very self-realization moment. A woman that will not be named, answered my email with one expelling some of the less than happy happenings in her life, but she ended it with saying she really liked my book.
I wasn't really sure how to respond because I didn't know her personally, but then I thought, "Well, she knows me personally." Whenever someone reads my book, they're reading a piece of me, a chunk of who I am that I've transcribed into words.
So, instead of disregarding her email, I decided to take it like I would any conversation with a friend. I made it conversational, emphatic, and at the end I said this, "... many times authors are also sound boards for people. I'm simply here to make you laugh when maybe you want to cry, to take your mind off whatever is going on in your life for a few blissful minutes or hours. "
At the end of the day we're all people, and it's important for everyone to realize this. I just want everyone to think as my characters as their friends, read my books like you're hearing about your friends chaotic life. Feel free to shoot me a message or an email about what's going on in your life, and maybe how reading my book impacted it. I don't just want to be some nameless author to you all, I want to be that friend you know who writes really funny or really sad and intricate books.
But please don't send me any messages if you're some kind of murderer, or something. I'll turn you into the police, and well... probably write a book about it and get a Lifetime movie deal from it. :)