Sunday, June 05, 2016

Letters and Fan Mail

In the previous post, I mentioned finding the thank you notes from seniors I taught years ago and the letters that some of them sent after they left for college.  They meant a great deal to me at the time, but even more now as I shuffle through my memories of those years and those students.

While it is important to thank someone for a gift, maybe the most touching thank you's are not for the Christmas or birthday gifts.  Thank you notes to friends, teachers, family for just being there, for small kindnesses, for inspiration, for all those intangible things that we take for granted.  Reading over those notes, I realize that only now do I truly apprehend how important a thank you note can be!   

I have had a blogging friend for several years now, Deborah McLaughlin--quilter and librarian--two things I appreciate!  She doesn't keep up with her blog any longer, but she is a FB friend, so I can continue to keep up with her.  (I know; I swear every day to Quit FB, and I can't resist going back.)  

Anyway, she posted on FB a letter from a Lady-in-Waiting to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in response to the birthday wishes the McLaughlin's and their daughter sent the Queen in 1990, when the Queen Mother had her 90th birthday.  This year Elizabeth II turned 90 (must be some good genes on the distaff side!),   Deborah OK'd my use of her pic.

Now that is a keepsake!

Have you ever written fan mail?  To an important figure, a celebrity, or an author?  I never have.  I suppose fan mail is really a letter expressing appreciation, a longer form of the thank you note.  


James Preller regularly receives fan mail because he makes it a point to visit schools.  I've mentioned before his willingness not only to respond to his fan letters, but to make them funny and personal.  



On his school visits, Mr. Preller encourages teachers and readers to include an SASE  and does his best to write replies.  He doesn't guarantee a response to every letter, although his response rate is very high.  



Dear Patrick,
Thank you for your letter. Writing can be lonely work. For example, right this minute I am alone in a room in an empty house, plucking away at the computer keyboard. Just me, by my lonesome, trying to write.
Letters like yours make me smile, and make me feel connected to my readers. I write a book . . . and somebody out there . . . a boy named Patrick . . . reads it. The job wouldn’t be nearly as fun without you. So, again, truly and sincerely: thank you.
I suppose, yes, that Jigsaw is a little like me. We are both the youngest in large families (I am the youngest of seven), and we share the same sense of humor. I was never a detective, however; though I did love to spy on my brothers and sisters. I was sneaky.
You are lucky about the uniforms. I wore a uniform in Catholic school when I was a kid. Purple polka-dotted pants, striped shirt, red suspenders and a big yellow bow tie.
No, just kidding. Green pants, white shirt, green tie. Day after day, week after week, year after year. Sigh.
I just wrote a new “Jigsaw Jones” titled The Case from Outer Space. It will be out in the Spring of 2017. I hope you check it out –- there’s some really funny parts. And since you mentioned ghosts, you might enjoy my “Scary Tales” books. They aren’t hard to read, but they will make your heart go thump, thump, thump.
Stay cool and have a great summer!
That's me, top row, fifth from the left. Big class, huh?
That’s me, top row, fifth from the left. Big class, huh?
Your friend,

James Preller
(Used with Mr. Preller's permission.)

I'm going to encourage Mila, Max, and Bryce Eleanor to write letters to their favorite authors...and to read some of James Preller's books!  They would be so thrilled to receive a reply!

18 comments:

  1. Very impressive and quite good advice. I have not ever written to anyone well known. But I have always written thank you notes and letters all along in my life. Although not as gloriously as Mr. Preller. His reply letter is quite inspiring. What a great share post, Jen.

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    1. I've never written to anyone famous, but love it when I see someone reply to a fan letter. Even if the Queen Mother had to have help from a Lady-in-Waiting, I admire the courtesy of sending an acknowledgement. Mr. Preller's responses are so kind and so personal--and there are more on his blog!

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    2. It was a standard reply, but she did write in our names. :-)

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    3. Oh, I didn't see this at first, just your comment about Cary Grant responding to your friend.

      The castle must lay in a huge supply of stamps around royal birthdays! And print plenty of form letters for the designated Lady-in-Waiting. :)

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  2. I wrote a letter to Michelle Obama. I am going to be 65 soon. I have seen a few 1st ladies and admired some of them. I wanted Mrs. Obama to know my thoughts about her and how much I appreciate and love her. I've written plenty of letters to businesses both in praise or criticism of whatever the subject was. I've written a lot of letters to the opinion page of the newspaper with most of them being published. Once even inspired their cartoonist to draw a cartoon depicting my opinion and was on the page the day my letter was published.

    Thanks for sharing Mr. Preller's and Patrick's letter. How cool. How cool for Patrick!!

    Love this post Jen.
    xx, Carol

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    1. Good for you, Carol! Did you receive a reply (probably from a secretary, but still) to the letter to the First Lady? I like the idea of sending a letter to a business! Every once in awhile, a business or an employee of the business will go so far beyond courtesy and helpfulness and deserves recognition! I always read the letters to the editor, but have never written one--you are just full of hidden depths :)

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  3. Loved Patrick's letter! I used to write more letters than I do today but one thing I always do is write thank you notes. I made sure my son wrote thank you notes for each gift given. Not sure that he always enjoyed spending the end of Christmas vacation writing those notes *smile*.

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    1. No, children don't always enjoy writing thank you notes, but such a good habit to learn. This past Christmas, I sat down with the grands and had them write thank you notes, but they had to decorate them with drawings. Went down better than usual.

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  4. I wrote to Kenneth Brannagh about Much Ado About Nothing, and received a very kind response...
    And my mother wrote to Laurence Olivier and still treasures his reply!

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    1. Oh, I remember the first time I saw Brannagh's Much Ado! I showed it to my students, too. And his Hamlet! How cool that you wrote and received a reply, Rachel. Can well imagine that your mother treasures a response from Laurence Olivier!

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  5. A high school friend wrote to Cary Grant and received a very personal, handwritten reply.

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    1. For some reason your other comment didn't appear here, but can you imagine the number of birthday wishes the Queen Mother must have received?! Even if it was a standard response, I love that your birthday wishes were acknowledged!

      And I would have swooned to receive a reply from Cary Grant!

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  6. First of all let me say I am 71 years old. I recently read a children's book. Loved it so much, I wanted to write its author. Cannot find a snail mail address anywhere. Kate DiCamillo. "Raymie Nightingale" An absolute delight. I was struck by what Mr. Preller wrote that writing can be lonely work and thought again how nice it would be to somehow let Ms. DiCamillo know how much I enjoyed her latest book.

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    1. :) I found this for Kate DiCamillo -- let me know how it turns out if you write your letter! I'm sure she will love hearing from you, Gail!

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  7. How kind of you to "go the extra mile". ;-) Never occurred to me that I could contact her through her publisher. I will definitely write a snail mail letter, maybe even decorate the envelope so that it arrives as a gift-without-a-ribbon, and will let you know if I hear back from her.

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    1. Maybe most authors would prefer to receive mail through their publishers, especially since they don't know the people writing. I'm so pleased that you are going to write Ms. DiCamillo--good authors of children's books deserve all the praise they can get. Turning a child into a reader is a special accomplishment that deserves recognition. :) Now, I'm going to have to think even harder about writing a letter of my own to an author!

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  8. This is in reference to your post of June 5, 2016 - Letters and Fan Mail (you provided the address I needed.)
    I received a postcard response today from Kate DiCamillo (Full length picture of her on one side, the other side:
    Dear Gail,
    Thank you for believing in the power of stories. I hope you will keep reading. Your friend, Kate
    P.S. Your letter made Louisiana, Beverly, Raymie and me very happy. Thank you.

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    1. I'm so excited for you about receiving a reply from Kate Dicamillo! I was hoping for you, and I'm so pleased Ms. DiCamillo took the time to send you a response. I'm sure you will treasure it. Thanks for letting me know, Gail!

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Good to hear from you!