Archive for Fan Mail

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #330: All the Way from Kalamazoo!

May 12, 2023 / / No comments

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Camden wrote . . . 

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I replied . . . 

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Dear Camden,

What a kind and generous letter! Thank you. And all the way from Kalamazoo, too! That’s one of my favorite place names in the world. It’s right up there with Timbuktu and Oshkosh! I live in Delmar and that name just doesn’t have the same snazzy ring to it. Rats!

Just wondering: Have you ever played a kazoo in Kalamazoo? Or talked to a cow who said “Moo” in Kalamazoo? 

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What would you do

If the grass was blue

And the birds said “Moo!”

In Kalamazoo? 

Would you move to Timbuktu?

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(I’m sorry, I just made that up. Silly me. What other rhyming words can you think of? Canoe! Kazoo! Cockatoo! Purple?)

Anyway! I’m so glad that you read The Case from Outer Space. That’s one of the newest Jigsaw Jones titles and I’m especially fond of it. There’s humor and Little Free Libraries (which I love) and, I think, a pretty satisfying mystery, too. I hope the ending surprised you.

When I was a little boy, my grandmother moved in with us because she was getting old and needed more help. That’s where I got the idea for Jigsaw’s grandmother to be living with his family -— it came directly from my own life. When I look at that illustration by R. W. Alley at the end of the book, with Jigsaw and his father and grandmother gazing at the night stars, well, it stirs my heart. 

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You asked some questions. What inspired me to start writing? I could give you a lot of different answers to that question. But mostly, I think I have a “creative bone” in my body. Some inner desire to make things. To draw pictures or put words on a page. To somehow take whatever is INSIDE of me . . . and try you put it OUTSIDE into the world. To share it. To express myself. Maybe’s it just a way of saying, “Hey, World! Here I am! Look at me!”

I have written many books over the years (I don’t have an exact number). There are 42 Jigsaw Jones titles in all, though right now there are 14 that have been revised and updated and currently in print (meaning: that you can buy them in stores or online). Of those, I’m especially fond of The Case of the Bicycle Bandit and The Case of the Buried Treasure. The most recent title is The Case of the Hat Burglar, which was inspired by the “Lost and Found” tables that I see on school visits. What if, I asked myself, someone was stealing items from the “Lost and Found”?

That’s the question that writers always ask: WHAT IF?

Who would do it? But more importantly —- and here comes a Pro Tip, Cameron — the better question might be, “Why would someone do it?” 

If you can answer WHY, it will often lead a good detective to WHO.

What do you think, Cameron? Why might someone take all the hats -— and then all the gloves -— from the school’s Lost & Found? 

Happy reading!

Your friend,

James Preller

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Category: Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: , , ,

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY: #329: Kindness from Natalee

May 2, 2023 / / No comments

 

 

 

 

 

So nice to get a handwritten letter from a satisfied customer! Here’s Natalee — who read and enjoyed the first book in my new series, Exit 13: The Whispering Pines. 

 

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I replied . . .

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Natalee,

What a nice surprise to find your note in my mailbox. Yes, I remember visiting your school when the book was included in the Scholastic Book Fairs. That was a fun day for me. It is always humbling to see a line of readers waiting for a signed copy of a book. Times like those, I wish I had fancier handwriting instead of my crummy lefty scrawl.

You mentioned that you enjoyed how Ash and Willow try to figure out the mysteries of the Whispering Pines. As a writer, I felt the same way — as if I was exploring the creepy, exciting world of Exit 13 right along with them. What happens if they go deeper into the woods? What’s going on with that wolf? What’s the deal with Kristoff, could he really be hundreds of years old? What’s going on in the room behind the Unnumbered Door? And will they ever get home again?

Honestly, I’m still trying to figure some of that stuff out myself. But you will find answers to many of those questions in the next book, The Space In Between, coming out this August 1st.

Thank you for your letter. It means a lot to me. Good luck in middle school next year. It’s exciting: new teachers, new classes, new friends. You’ll kill it!

Your friend,

James Preller

Category: EXIT 13, Fan Mail / Tags: , ,

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #328: Good News About “Exit 13”

April 14, 2023 / / No comments

 

I wonder: Is fan mail down in general? Are teachers encouraging students to write to authors — to send letters via snail mail — stamps & envelopes and all that jazz? I mean, clearly, it could be me. Still in a pandemic & post-pandemic lull. I imagine that it’s a combination of those two things. In so many ways, it’s just been a weird time in children’s books. The pandemic is over, but it’s still not over-over, and teachers certainly have their hands full.

The good news is that I’ve got at least four books on the way — some exciting things, too — and there will be a lot more than that before we’re through.

Not dead yet!

The stories we tell ourselves, our inner narratives, are so important (and coincidently play a key role in my current work-in-progress). The story I’ve embraced is that I’m a survivor. Published my first book in 1986 at age 25 and still publishing, still writing. More than half my life in children’s books, close to 2/3 of my entire life, actually, where I’ve been actively involved in books for young people. There are ebbs and flows, ups and downs. Times when I’ve felt embraced and times I’ve felt ignored by an indifferent world. I try to ride them like waves. Float on the surface. Keep swimming. 

Throughout everything, I still fall in love with the thing I’m doing right now, this minute. The latest idea, the current story. Not always literally glad to sit down at the writing desk, but also, in a more figurative way, always glad to sit down with the work before me. To wrestle and wrangle and dread and dream and avoid and write. It’s the best part, the part that endures. Making things. Being creative. Putting it out into the world.

Anyway, I’m grateful for the letters I do get and I thought I’d share this one, since it involves a bit of (good!) news.

This came via email from Gina & Sophia . . . 

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Hi

My daughter just finished Exit 13 tonight and was begging to know if there was another book after this one. Do you ever give fans advanced copies? I see you have one coming in August.

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I replied . . .

 

Gina & Sophia,

I love the enthusiasm and, I’ll admit it, the begging, too.

What writer doesn’t want readers begging for more books? I’m not above it, that’s for sure. 

At this date, there are no advance copies available — I don’t believe it’s even gone to the printer yet. 

However, here’s a glimpse from a page in the upcoming book, illustrated by the great Kevin Keele:

How is that for creepy? That art work — where the wolf seems to lead Ash to a shocking discovery — happens about midway through the book.
Here’s the cover . . . 
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I appreciate your interest and hope you like the next book. I think it’s even more exciting as Ash and Willow delve deeper into the mysteries of Exit 13. 
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I think I’ll probably post a sample chapter on my blog at some point soon. The book will be available on August 1st. Pre-orders are helpful and welcome!
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My best,
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James Preller
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Category: EXIT 13, Fan Mail / Tags: , , , ,

Thankful for a Thousand Different Reasons

November 23, 2022 / / No comments

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I’m lucky in a thousand different ways. I realize that. And one of those ways is that I get invited to participate in children’s book festivals. Rochester, Chappaqua, Hudson, Princeton, Morristown, Thousand Islands, Warwick, all over. Best of all, sometimes I even get invited back.

The continuity becomes part of the experience for organizers, authors, and attendees. I used to think that people would get tired of seeing the same authors and illustrators sitting behind tables — it’s important to bring in fresh faces, diverse talent — but there’s a particular beauty to the familiarity. The kid who you saw last year, or two years ago, coming back for another book, another conversation. But this time reaching for a title that’s a little longer, a little older. Or maybe just completing a series, finding that last book for the autographed collection.

Last time in Chappaqua, a familiar face strode up to the table. A good-looking kid, clear-eyed, sturdy & athletic, still wearing soccer gear, still smiling. He knew me and I knew him. “You’re back!” I said. He grinned. There had been a few meetings over the years, now stretching out across the wide pandemic. I was grayer, he was taller. His mother asked, once again, for a photograph. And in turn I wondered if she had kept any of the old ones.

A week later, she sent these along with a brief note: “Below are the photos from the Chappaqua book fair that you requested. It was amazing to see you again, and I loved talking to you as always.”

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Like I said, I’m a lucky guy.

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P.S. Hey, my friend, if you ever do start that soccer blog, please let me know. I’d love to read your work for a change!

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Category: Fan Mail, Happenings, Upstander / Tags: , , ,

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #327: Speed Reader Meets EXIT 13!

November 7, 2022 / / No comments

 

I was at the Rochester Children’s Book Festival over the weekend and had the opportunity to share some Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) with various folks: teachers, librarians, and some uniquely interested young readers. It’s exciting when there’s a new book to share, and a little scary, because you never know what the reaction will be. In this case, along with my table crammed with other books, I had a sign announcing EXIT 13, my new middle grade series that’s only available (for now) through Scholastic Book Fairs and Scholastic Book Clubs. We couldn’t sell them at the festival. Thus, the ARCs.

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That same night, I received this email from a parent: 

 

Hi,
My daughter and I met you earlier today at the Rochester Children’s Book Festival. You gave her an advanced copy of your novel Exit 13. She finished it ALL today and LOVES it!!! And can’t wait to read the next installment! She’s passing it along to her twin brother (who was at baseball practice and we bought books for), and then her little brother (who was also there), and is going to tell everyone at school to be on the lookout when it comes out in February.
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Thank you so much for sharing it with her and helping encourage her passion for reading!! You have definitely gained a huge fan, and we will recommend your books to everyone we know.
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Thanks,
Kara
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THANK YOU, SPEED READER! I’M SO GLAD WE HAD THE CHANCE TO CONNECT AND SHARE OUR LOVE FOR READING, MYSTERY, AND CREEPY THINGS!
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P.S. THE SECOND BOOK, THE SPACES IN BETWEEN, COMES OUT IN AUGUST. SO, YEAH, THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART. I’M VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A READER LIKE YOU. 
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Category: EXIT 13, Fan Mail / Tags: , , , ,
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