Mar 13 2008
Fan Mail
I don’t get a lot of fan mail. Back in 1998 when I did Bearskin, people were more into that whole “writing on paper” thing, and I got some mail then, but I was pretty bad about answering it. Most of my Beowulf fan mail comes in electronically, and I usually respond, albeit briefly. The other day, though, Candlewick forwarded me a great letter from a young fan, and I decided to answer it properly. Here, with his permission, are his letter (edited for privacy) and my response.
No, I won’t always answer my mail this way. And no, I don’t know how to pronounce ‘Sjon.’ š
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to respond to Sjon. He’s now even a bigger fan. He’s so excited about reading the next book, and I’m excited that he’s excited about reading. lol. Your letter is framed and hanging on his wall. It’s a very cool thing. By the way, his name is pronounced “Shaun”.
Thanks again,
Sjon’s mom
I also want to thank you for taking the time to respond to Sjon. When I taught junior high, it was big deal to get letters from authors. It was also great to hear and see what the kids found in books that I might have missed completely. 7th graders are cool.
The author/artist’s mom