Fan Mail! (Really!!)

I went to East Middle School last month for an "Author Day" presentation. I spoke to several hundred students about writing, reading, and publishing. It was a really fantastic group of students. I did the presentation three times (2nd, 3rd, 4th periods) and my voice was pretty much gone by the end of the day. :)

I was able to meet several of the students after the presentation which was AWESOME. They were so enthusiastic about writing stories and reading some of the books that I talked about. The questions asked during the presentation were fun, too. They asked how quickly I've read a book. I told them when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was delivered at my house at 10 am on Saturday morning, I read all day (though I did remember to feed my kids!) and all night. I finished the book at 4 a.m., slept, woke up at 7 a.m. and went to church. They were flabbergasted that someone could read for "so long."

Yesterday, I was handed a package with this inside!

Thank you notes, a little "book" with my book cover on the front FULL of thank you notes, and about two dozen letters from students. I read them all last night. WOW. I was crying. And laughing. It was pretty amazing. I'll share some of my favorite lines with you.

So, the above letter states, "I was really surprised how you can be a mom and, like, write books. Well, you must have good responsibility because you're a mom and you write books."

"I thought it was really cool when you said that you spent a whole day just to read a book and that you finished it. When I heard you say that I said in my head, 'WOW.'"

"I learned you don't have to be famous to become a writer." (HAHA! I don't remember saying that but...okay!)

"I learned that it doesn't take a really smart person to write a book you just have to have an idea for it." (This made me laugh SO much!)

"I was very excited because I met a real author in person." (This warmed my heart!)

"I'm impressed that you read a Harry Potter book in one day."

"I was surprised how much time it takes to write a book and thoughts to put in it."

"I was surprised to hear that she was married and how young she looked." (Well, thank you! My vanity appreciates you saying that.)

"The thing that helped motivate me was to don't give up."

"It was cool when we had to think of a name for a story. I think that part was my favorite. At first I didn't think it would take 7 months to write your book. I would guess 8-9 1/2 months with all the research you had to do." (This made me smile.)

"My favorite part was when you told us your favorite books. I also like Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

"Thank you for letting us have fun."

"Something you taught me is that you need a main character and that writing isn't that hard if you have an exciting life." (Oh dear! My life really isn't that exciting. I do have a good imagination, though.)

"I was surprised that you have two kids because you took the time to come to East when you had work to do." (I, thankfully, have great friends who help out with child care.)

"We found out that before writing "The Seventh Blessing" you had to research about medieval times."

"I thought it would be hard to write a story but it is not hard at all. I think I will write when I grow up." (Yes!)

"You helped us think beyond our imagination."

"You motivated me to write a blog and write neater in class."

"Thank you for your interesting book. So far I am reading it and LOVE it."

"I hope you publish more books."

"I can see how difficult it is to be an author. I don't want to make it too long because I know you're busy." (This was great. I'm not too busy to read these amazing notes!)

"I am constantly reading your book." (Thank you!!)

"You are appreciated by many people in the entire world." (This made me crack up!)

"The thing I like most about your book is the front cover!" (That's the awesomeness of Matt Maniscalco for you!)

"I am already in the fourth chapter. I love it when Samantha and Nolan fight."

"I took your advice on writing a book and I wrote a book."

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow wow wowwwwwwwww. 

That pretty much sums up how I feel after reading those notes again right now. Do you see how fantastic kids are?? I was (am!) so glad that I had the opportunity to talk to them about writing and such. Maybe it'll make a difference in the life of a few of those kids. Yay for cool kids who write and read!