Archive for Fan Mail

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #340: Brock’s Artwork

I received one of those terrific letters the other day, a thing of beauty. It came the old-fashioned way, delivered through rain, sleet, and snow. The envelope looked like this:

Inside, I found a wonderful piece of artwork which, I gather, is mine to keep. 

I replied:

Dear Brock,

Thank you so much for sending along that terrific piece of art. How kind of you!

I enjoyed visiting your school at Jackson Heights Elementary. It was a great day for me, a happy day, full of books and art and ideas. 

I remember that I talked about making my own books when I was young like you. I drew the pictures but needed help with the words. A lot of kids in your school nodded in agreement. They liked to draw, too. And maybe some of them will make their own books, too. 

I see that you had help addressing the envelope. Isn’t that great? That there are people in our lives who are there to help us? I’m thinking you might owe someone a big hug.

As for your picture, I’ve got it hanging on the wall of my office.

Look:

Thank you, my friend!

Keep reading, keep writing, keep drawing those awesome pictures!

My best,

James Preller

 

P.S. Brock, buddy, if you happen to see this, please know that a real letter is in the mail with a very small bonus gift (don’t get your hopes up).

Fan Mail Wednesday #339: “Bee the Change” and, yes, Be the Change!

 

Here’s an email from Jeremiah!

Hi my name is Jeremiah and I am reaching out to you. To give you some positive wonderful feedback. (The Big idea Gang: Bee the Change). Was a very good and nice book.  Furthermore I would highly recommend an individual to read this book. In addition because the book has much information regarding cycles of bees. Also I would recommend an individual to read this book because it has quality information about bee’s lifestyles. The details of the book were also splendid and terrific. 

I replied:

Jeremiah,
Thank you for your kind email and, also, for simply reading my book. That’s all any writer can wish for: a reader!
I’m very happy with the three books in my “Big Idea Gang” series. For unknown reasons, those three books are beginning to get more attention of late. I think teachers are beginning to find them. 
While I tried to make these stories easy to read, fast and funny and hopeful — that is, to tell a good story — I’ve also had a second agenda: I’ve always seen these books as political. A practical to guide to improving our world.
How do we make the world a better place? It’s a daunting question. Overwhelming. So the idea proposed in these books is to start small, act locally, make small differences in your community. For young readers, that’s the school environment. Install a buddy bench into the playground. Change the school mascot. Plant an eco-friendly garden. The key to positive change is overcoming all the objections that come our way. Any time folks hope for change, there’s going to be pushback, reasons for doing nothing. That’s where the persuasive writing element comes into play. Anticipating and overcoming objections is a big part of any move toward progress, big or small — in politics and in persuasive writing. 
       
After a long winter, I’ll be helping my wife and daughter start a new garden. They’ve already got some seeds going inside the house. I’ll need to check the fencing — those pesky rabbits can sneak through the smallest openings. They want help expanding it; we might even rent a rototiller! And we’ll consider the bees and birds when we plant.
Will it change the world?
Well, yeah, a little tiny bit. Just imagine if we all tried to do the same. As always, it begins very simply with one person who cares
Caring, you see, is everything. It’s where all the good work begins.
Thank you!
James Preller

MAXX TRAX Remembered!

MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue! was my first published book, 1986. I worked closely with my late beloved pal, editor Craig Walker. Could not have written it half as well without him. I was a snot-nosed kid, 25. The book sold more than 1.5 million copies (no royalties, flat fee) on book clubs, first time out of the gate. A shocking success (I worked on the 10th floor as a junior copywriter at the time). Scholastic bizarrely changed illustrators for the second title — a totally new look, computer generated, and awful — and it didn’t fare well. Oh, well. Done, gone, those two books long out of print.
And yet not entirely forgotten. I still get emails about it. Several just this year. People who remember loving MAXX TRAX as a kid. Or parents who read them with their children. They still love the thrill of trucks and action stories. I haven’t been able to sell anything like it since. This is almost 40 years ago. This photo came to me last week . . . so kind of this family to remember those books & think of me.

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #338: Via Snail!

So much of modern communication is done via text or email, including fan mail. It makes sense and, honestly, saves on the cost of envelopes, stamps, time. 

But how refreshing to receive this note from a 5th-grade teacher in Arizona:

Good morning, my name is Lindsey D_____. I am the fifth grade teacher at _____ School in ____, Arizona. This month my students are writing letters to the author of their book report book. One of my students would like to send you a letter — snail mail style! Is there a good address to send it to?
I am attaching the letter with this email, but we would still love to send you the handwritten copy also. 
Thank you again, 
Ms. D_____
And, lo, a few days later I received this beauty the old-fashioned way, thanks to a postal carrier trudging through the tundra, mile after mile . . .
(That’s a Frank Zappa reference, btw.)

I replied:

Dear Jaxon,

Thank you for your terrific letter, which arrived today via snail mail. You must be an old soul. I’m so glad that you enjoyed . . .

Hey, wait a minute. You hit a double? One-handed?

WOW! I am not worthy!

Anyway, ha, that’s pretty impressive. But honestly, the most impressive part was that even though you were injured, you still wanted to take the field with your team. Play the game, wear the uniform, cheer for your teammates. I love that.

My oldest son, Nick, inspired the heart of Six Innings. While he was undergoing treatment for leukemia, a type of cancer, Nick still played for his Little League team. And it was a struggle. He was often tired, weak, not at his best. But to him, it was about belonging. Being as normal as possible. Winning and losing with his friends. Just being a regular kid.

So, yeah, Jaxon, I hear you loud and clear. My Little League days as a player were long ago. But like you, I can still remember specific moments with teammates, games, plays that happened 50 years ago. I mean, that’s crazy. But it’s another reason why I wrote that book. Because I knew in my bones that these experiences matter to young people. We care so much. It means a lot -— even though life is big and, in the scheme of things, a Little League game is next to meaningless. But at the time, in that moment, it’s the whole world.

Hopefully your wrist has fully healed and you will be back and better than ever. And thank you for expressing interest in my other books. I’ve written a lot of them.

My book, Blood Mountain, just went into paperback (cheap!). It’s a wilderness survival thriller about two siblings and their dog lost in the mountains. And if you enjoy scary stories, you might like my new collection, Scary Tales: 3 Spooky Stories in 1. It’s 300 pages but fast-paced and easy to read.

Thanks again, my friend,

James Preller

P.S. In case you are wondering, Nick is healthy now, living in NYC, and recently married. A big thank you to all the heroic doctors and nurses who care for children with life-threatening illnesses. Those people are amazing.

NOTE: One of the benefits of snail mail is that I typically include a NY Mets baseball card with my letters. So at least there’s something of value in that envelope. In this case, since Jaxon is clearly a fan (like me), I sent along a few. 

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #337: Zoom Visit Followup!

 

I haven’t shared many letters recently. Partly that’s because fan mail has dropped off (the pandemic and, I gather, my own popularity) and partly because many have felt repetitive or just, you know, not worth blogging. 

However!

I enjoyed a fast, easy, inexpensive Zoom Visit with an enthusiastic class a while back. It happened, we did it, life moved on. What impact did it make? Who knows!

So it was especially lovely to receive this email the other day: 

 

Dear James Preller,

My students are still enjoying Bystander! Someone loved the Upstander book so much, that I haven’t seen it since I loaned it to them. What a great problem to have as it is being shared from student to student! 🙂 Students really connected to your characters.
Here in Summerside, PE, students are wondering if you will ever write Griffin’s story. They think a Bystander part two would be amazing.
The want to know what authors inspired you and if you are working on anything new?
Thank you for your time and all the best to you and yours.
Stacy T______
Summerside Intermediate School
Canada
I replied:
Stacy,
It’s nice to hear from you. And yes, a “missing” book is encouraging news!
I haven’t spent a lot of time exploring Fan Fiction, but I love the idea of these characters living on in the writing of young readers. Maybe some of your students would like to give it a shot?
Part of why I’m attracted to Griffin’s story is because I think it would give us a more sympathetic, nuanced understanding of “the bully.” I enjoyed writing about Griffin again in Upstander, though I dreaded revisiting the ketchup scene, which had only happened “off stage” in Bystander.
I am currently writing a wilderness survival story for grades 3-5 involving wildfire. I want to make it fast-paced and exciting. At this stage, I haven’t started writing — I’m doing research, reading a lot, and taking notes. Every writer is different. But for me, I seem to require a long period of rumination before actually setting words down on the page. Unfortunately, all this pondering, or marinating, looks a lot like doing nothing at all. I don’t have a lot to show for it. Yet!
I’m also revising a picture book manuscript. I love picture books, but it’s very hard to get them published. A have at least 10 that I think are perfectly publishable. But no publisher seems to agree.
Rats!
My best,
James Preller