Hello, Susin.
Its been awhile, hasn’t it?
I guess the reason I decided to email you this letter, was to just say thank you.
Since we last spoke, my life has completely changed.
COMPLETLY.
My father got a girlfriend, and she has 4 daughters.
My dad has three kids.
Gulp.
Yep… Seven kids. We over doubled our household …
Its been crazy …
I have been raised by a man since I was 10.
This was clear, hence my lack of eyeliner and Hollister clothing.
But these girls
It was VERY obvious they were under the care of a woman..
So, of course.. There was tons of conflict.
Once, I was so enraged I literally screamed and locked myself in the bathroom, after screaming
“I HATE ALL OF YOU!”
It was hard. I hated it, for a very long time. There were often times where I prayed to go back, just when it was the four of us.
But, the real point if this, this long thank you, is that you helped me.
Im a lot happier now.
It took someone adjusting…
I mean, these girls … were gorgeous. Skinny. Terribly pretty. Cheerleaders.
And I was me.
And then, I would read your book, over and over (literally the library got concerned how often I rented it)
And it just made me feel,
I don’t know,
Better.
Sincerely, Your Favorite Book Fan;)
Why Our Books Matter
I don’t know about other authors out there, particularly YA and children’s authors, but I know that for me – still reasonably new at the game – my writing is done in a total vacuum. Me, my computer, and at least one of my two cats trying to walk on the keyboard or sleep on it.
Now, I visit a lot of schools and I’ve met a lot of kids who’ve enjoyed my books, and that is very gratifying. But possibly the most gratifying experience for an author is The Letter. I get a modest amount of letters now, often from an entire class whose teacher has given them the task of writing to me. Then there are ones like these, that arrive either via the post office or e mail, that make me feel like all that time spent in my “vacuum” is worth it.
I’ve taken out anything that would indicate the writer, and I reprint here with her permission. Her letter refers to “Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom,” and it’s not the first time we’ve corresponded; she’d already written to me from her school in the US. I’d say she has some writing talent herself, wouldn’t you agree?
It must be wonderful for you to know your words have made such a possitive impact on one of your readers. 🙂
Susan, thank you! I was thinking that for any author, all it takes is one letter like the one above – and suddenly all the hard work feels worth it. Have a great weekend.
Goodness… This individual is certainly talented…
I’ll say.. How old is she?
I’m guessing shes around, 16 or 17
I think she’s about 13. And it’s legit, really. I have heard from her before, through her school. I’ve told her to keep writing – she definitely has a unique turn of phrase! I think she’s just writing from the heart, with no filters.
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I think She is a WONDERFUL writer.
I think she is too;)
She’s a great writer. I can’t wait to read more of her story! 🙂
are you going to post more? Pleas do!
Blarie W, I’m a terrible blogger, aren’t I? I’ll try to do better. 🙂
Will you post more of her story? Or ask her to write something more lengthy?