This one included a kind teacher as an intermediary, helping a student make a connection. We ended up shooting a few emails back and forth, but I didn’t post those here. Stacey wrote:
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I have a letter I would like you to read and hopefully write back to this young man. Thank you for your consideration.
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I replied:
Dear Collin,
I hope I got that name correct.
First of all, my gosh, I love that you live in Osh Kosh.
What a name!
I’ve heard of it all my life, but you are the first person I’ve ever “met” who actually lives there. Are you a big Packers fan?
Thank you for reading The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards. I’m glad you liked it. Usually it takes me two months to write a Jigsaw Jones book. The first month, I bang my head against the wall, hoping to find ideas. Guess what I’ve learned? There are no ideas in the wall.
Eventually I get down to work. I get my butt in the chair, open to a clean page, and start to write. That’s the trick, mostly. Getting in that chair, getting away from all the distractions — the tv, my cell phone, the dog, my children, and a million other things — and writing.
I just wrote the 41st Jigsaw Jones book, titled The Case from Outer Space. It is coming out in August, along with four other “classic” titles that have been hard to find the past few years. Jigsaw Jones is back! By November, there will be 9 Jigsaw Jones books available in stores. I’m super happy about that — and I know that it couldn’t have happened with readers like you.
And, yes, I depend on teachers like Ms. ______, too!
BTW, I live pretty far away from you, in a town called Delmar, NY, just south of Albany. I’d love for you to visit if you are ever in the neighborhood. Though I am concerned that the brownies might get stale.
That would make me sad. Stale brownies. Sigh.
I think the rice krispies treats, however, should travel well.
Come see me anytime. And thank you so much for your terrific letter.
James Preller