I got the greatest fan letter on my MySpace the other day! The guy who wrote it has set his account so that I cannot directly respond to him, so I thought I’d repost it.
Here goes. The Subject line reads: “Dude…. I loved your book.”
“Alright so there I was, vacant as can be, in Books a Million, and I saw this bright red thing poking out amongst the other books. It turned out to be some creepy pencil, and I thought the book was going to be some sadistic story about a random kid, but then it turns out that it was the most (awesome) accurate book I’ve ever read that was in first person of a high-school boy. And it wasn’t one of those crappy ones that are all generic and stuff.
Anyways, I recomended it to all my friends, and so far everyones loved it (‘specially the dudes).
Oh, um… is the game that Tyler was playing real? If so it’d be so freakin’ aweomse to play. đ
Keep up the great writing. And God Bless. XP”
I don’t know if he’s going to read this, but here is my answer: Dude, you totally made my whole month. Thanks for taking the time to write to me. Keep reading and looking for weird book covers.
::contented sigh:: You see, this is why I love writing for teenagers.
Lots more writing for me today, and doing stuff for my mom, and sending out even more mail, and getting ready for tonight. “What’s tonight?” you ask. I will be participating in the ALAN Online Book Chat at 9pm (EST). Join us!!!!!!!
P.S. The game played in TWISTED is not real, but if anyone wants to buy the development rights…..
That truly is a great letter! đ
That is so awesome! I’ve been really wanting to read that book, but now I am *dying* to read it.
Awww, so sweet. What a rewarding comment. I know it annoys some, but I love it when kids say, “Dude…” as a term of endearment. It means they’re excited about something.
I especially love it when boys read! Kudos!
That’s so awesome! I had a similar moment today, when one of my students (who happened to be down in the office for almost getting in a fight. . .it happens), said that I was “a good teacher because I try to make sure everyone understands and tries to meet us all where we’re at.” That’s what I try to do, but when a teenager, one of my students, can see that, it just makes it all worth it. Glad you had such an awesome response!
–Brian
If that is all it takes to make your month… then I am going to go write that fan letter I’ve been thinking of for years. O.O Once I reread the book in question, that is.
the chat thinger was amazing! thanks for humoring us all!
couple questions i didnt ask in the forum:
did you intend the eroticism that i and my friends found pretty prevelant in the first part of the book? (mostly in repeatedly describing how well built tyler is, and ongoing comments about his erections) my gay/bi friends and i loved it on that level and on the deeper more significant levels as well.
this may make me sound stupid, but what was the point of the duct tape on yoda’s ass? just to pull hairs when he had to remove it?
will bethany’s family ever level out? will bethany become more selfconfident/less slutastic as time goes on? will chip realize that he doesnt have to be an ass to have “friends?”
thats all i can think of at the moment.
i loved so many things about it. some favorite pasages/quotes:
“we both stared straight ahead. a television would have been nice, something we could pretend to look at…” that is exactly how guys are. i hate it, but im as guilty as any.
the entire (chapter?) 2 was amazing. “my father: corporate tool. hed always been a hardass, but since his latest promotion, hed dialed it up.” “my mother: pet photographer, cake baker, nice lady who smells faintly of gin” “… therapy session. they were recovering the joy in their relationship.” “mom’s smile fell off.” all the short statements that say just what they need to, and not a bit more.
i could list more, but mom needs the comp. just wanted to say it was amazing!
thanks again!
-steve-
More flattery for you……….coolness for me.
I just took my teen daughter to summer camp. One of the first things they want to know is did she bring any fashion magazines? Why I asked?????? Too provocative and inappropriate at times was the reply. I told them that they were right on and I agreed! Of course this lead to a HUGE roll of the eyes from my daughter but whatâs new.
They also wanted to see the book the she was reading. She had brought Speak with her she had just started it the night before. I must admit I was a little nervous. If anyone is familiar with the book the content might be a little concerning. The counselor replied….âOh! Laurie Halse Anderson….she’s a local author did you know thatâ? âI just love her stuffâ! âGrate bookâ! Carry onâŚ.. I told her I agreed and I grew up with her sister. No role of the eyes on that one from my daughter just a BIG old smile. Thanks for making this normally incredibly UN-COOL mom cool for just a little while.
Re: More flattery for you……….coolness for me.
Glad to be of service! Where is this summer camp?
Re: More flattery for you……….coolness for me.
It is in your neck of the woods I believe. I am on my way to get her in a little while. I miss her terribly. I have never gone 4 days without speaking to my child.
I hope she understands when I tell her that her father and I have decided that she will not be able to go to college until she is at least 30! I bet if you listen very carefully around 5:00 pm you will be able to hear her reply….”Oh MOM, gawwwwwddddd……roll of eyes”.
::sigh::
So… Due to the fact that I have a crappy job and I don’t get much time to go look around in BAM, I didn’t even know you had written “Twisted”. (shame on me. this I know…)One of my good friends Destiny lent me “Speak” and we basically had a 55 minute conversation about it everyday in 10th grade during our chemistry class (I ended up failing that class with a 68… And I blame you because your books are so yummy) about how we had reading orgasms through the whole book. So, this year, our senior year, she is reading “Speak” again and we, again, began to reminisce about the “diaper exploding” thing. xD Anyway, she texts me later that day and says “In my excitement of rereading “Speak”, I forgot to tell you she wrote another book”. Due to the fact that texting is expensive and times are hard at Winn-Dixie, I texted her once and we continued the conversation the next day at school. She told me it was about a boy, which made me incredibly skeptical, but you write some of the best books I have ever read (do I gain brownie points for flattery?) so I grabbed it anyway. I read it through my entire 2-hour healthcare class. I am on chapter 34, I think and I am deeply in love. It just amazes me how you can make a book so interesting and so real. ::smiles:: So, yeah. Just know that you have an amazing talent and I look forward to reading more.