Fan Mail Friday! The Youtube version.

I'm a very lucky writer. Or author. Frankly, I never know what to call myself. Writer, Author, either or!

I've been writing my whole life and now that I'm published I'm writing more than ever so I often think of myself as a writer on an everyday schedule, but I'm only an "Author" when I'm doing a school or bookstore or other sort of "event". :-)

(What are your definitions? I'd be curious to hear.)

But EVERY DAY I'm very blessed to hear from kids or readers or teachers or friends who tell me wonderful things about my book, or how much they enjoyed it, or how it even - gulp! - changed their lives. Wow. That's like a writer's dream.

I even get comments on my book trailers on Youtube which is pretty darn cool. Here's one from last week from a young girl with a screen  name of pizzatas who left a comment for Circle of Secrets (spelling and punctuation left exactly as written - one of the reasons I love it so much!):

"this was a summer book for me, and i don't like books. but when i read this book, my imagination was blowed. i love this book. it changed my life basicly. WRITE MOREEEE!"

Of course, I write them back a comment on Youtube as well, not just emails or snail mail letters.

I would say it's THE greatest blessing and experience as a writer/author to hear from fans like this. To know I've influenced someone to read more That is the power of books in kid's lives. That was the power of books in MY life.

And that's the reason I never stopped reading children's books and the reason I will never stop writing kid's books.

Because I know what books did for me as a scared, nervous, non-talking, terribly shy child.

Books were my best friends. And they still are.

~Kimberley