Sometimes a writer gets something fun in the mail – a letter handwritten in an envelope with a stamp on it that lands in said writer’s mailbox. Years ago when I was writing books for younger readers, it wasn’t unusual to find one of those letters in my mailbox. I exchanged letters over several years with a young girl until she must have outgrown my young adult books. I received manilla envelopes from teachers stuffed with letters from all her students after she read one of my books aloud to them. Those letters were such fun.
All that was before everything went digital and writing a quick message in a FB message or an email became more convenient, cheaper, and an instant way to connect with someone. Writers are generally pretty easy to locate online for readers to send a message about one of their books. And most all of us enjoy hearing from readers.
Still, it’s fun to get that snail mail now and again. Not long ago, I mailed one of my middle reader books, Freak of the Week, to a young girl I must have met at a book signing. I can’t quite remember why I promised to send her a book, but I like to encourage young readers. I stuffed the book in an envelope and sent it on its way.
Then I completely forgot about it – until I got the great thank you letter shown up top. I’m letting you read it all. I don’t think my young reader would mind. This girl has book reports down pat. She did a wonderful job thanking me for the book, telling me what she liked about it, and sharing a little about herself in the process. It was an extra good touch that she liked baseball. No, loved baseball. I had to wonder if she played on a Little League team. If so, I hope she hit a homer or two.
She’s the second kid to surprise me with a thank you note. I got the one below several years ago. I think my husband brought it home after being at a church with the Southern Gospel Quartet he used to sing with. For a while they had my books on their product table. I don’t know who this kid was, but the little boy wrote the note and asked my husband to give it to me. I have no idea which of my books he might have read, but the note made me smile. I’m glad he thought I had done a good job.
Actually all the notes, letters, messages, emails, comments I get from readers make me happy. I don’t even mind too much the ones that tell me they don’t like this or that or I messed up and didn’t do that “good job” my young fan said I did.
Most people who take the time to write a letter, stuff it in an envelope, and mail it are sending encouraging words the same as the two youngsters who wrote the letters above. I do get letters from grown-up readers too. Maybe I’ll share about one of those in another post.
While mailed letters are nice, so are all the comments you all share with me on my posts here and those of you who leave comments on Facebook, Instagram, on in response to my newsletters. I like getting to know my readers. So thank you all.
Do you like getting snail mail? Ever send a letter to someone just to encourage them?