Has anyone ever written a letter to an author and received an actual personal response?

Question

(meaning an actual personal letter, not form letter, written by the actual author to you personally)
I once wrote Susanna Kaysen and she actually wrote me back on a typewriter. She answered the questions I asked and signed her name. Any others?

Answer 1

Yes, while I was reading Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, I discovered a mistake, and I sent them an e-mail, and within 24 hours got a really nice answer from Preston saying I was right, and no one else had realized that they had somehow moved the state of Illinois to west of the Mississippi. Got a laughing offer to let me proof read the next one.

Answer 2

Before I joined the Air Force, I wrote two fan letters (the only two I have ever written, actually) - one to Dean Koontz, and one to John Saul. I never heard anything back from Saul, but I still have the personal, hand-written note I received from Dean Koontz. It filled up the bottom half of a page, included responses to specific things I had mentioned in my letter to him, and was both warm and humorous.

I have carried that letter with me throughout every move in the past 15 years - and sometimes I pull it out and re-read it, or show it to friends. Someday, when I actually buy a home, I will frame and hang it.

If he hadn't already been my favorite author, that note would have sealed it for me. =)

Answer 3

Hi there. I'm not exactly a household name in the author realm, but a LOT of people have emailed me through the Yahoo Answers area and every one of them gets a personal email in return. That's the least I can do for them, since they took the time to respond to an answer I've posted on here.

In the process, I've made some great new friends all over the world and that's very gratifying. I hope it continues.

Thanks for the question.

Jon F. Baxley (Author, Editor, Ghostwriter and Proofreader)

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (eBook only)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (eBook and hard cover)
THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming fall '07)

(For a FREE copy of The Scythian Stone or a full color, four chapter illustrated demo of The Blackgloom Bounty, email me at [e-mail]).

My author blog: http://the-blackgloom-bounty.blogspot.com/

Answer 4

Yup, about five years ago wrote a letter to Lawrence Block, who's written a great series of novels featuring Matthew Scudder:
"THE MATTHEW SCUDDER NOVELS

In the early books, he’s an angst-ridden hard-drinking ex-cop and unlicensed private eye. In later books he’s sober. He’s twenty-five years older than when I first started writing about him, and he’s gone through changes, even as you and I. Remember what Eubie Blake said on his 100th birthday? "if I’d known I was going to last this long I’d have taken better care of myself."

There are 16 novels. The reason I wrote to him was, as an alcoholic trying to stay sober, I could identify so much with Scudder.
He wrote back, encouraging me and giving me some hints on how to stay off the booze, including the suggestion that I join AA. I'm coming up on my fifth anniversary now, and I'll never forget Mr. Block's kindness and great advice.

Answer 5

My First Grade class wrote a letter to Robert Munsch ( popular author of children's books). We did receive a type-written response, a signed photograph, personal information and answers to some of our questions. He also included a short, unpublished story he had written for our class using some the students' names. They loved that!! We had also invited him to visit our classroom. He told us that he does do that, but he chooses the classrooms at random. Sorry to say, he didn't visit ours, but we were very excited to have heard from him.

Answer 6

I received a hand-written response from Bob Sloan, who writes police procedural mysteries about a NYC detective named Lenny Bliss.

I've never written to an author before or since, but I thought Sloan's story and his protagonist were original, which is not always the case in mystery stories.

Answer 7

Yeah, I wrote to Kevin J. Anderson, about a couple of minor typos I found, plus some commentary on a book. (He writes in both STAR WARS and DUNE)

I got a handwritten letter back from him and his wife, thanking me. The high point was not only did he answer, he also said I 'had a great sense of humor'. :D I still have it, and treasure it.

Answer 8

As a 4th grader in the late 50's, we were asked to write our favorite author. I wrote to Charles Schulz (Peanuts comic strip) and he answered me! It was a memorable experience for me.

I like to assign students the task of writing an author at their publisher's address and see what they get back. Even if it is advertisements for books, the students are thrilled!

Answer 9

My daughter loves the YA author Peg Kerhet and e-mailed her on her website. Ms. Kerhet wrote her back personally and the two of them kept up a corrospondence for a long time.

Answer 10

yes. My children love the Allan and Janet Ahlberg books, including the Funny Bones series, and so when we heard that Janet had passed away, they drew a picture and we sent it to him. He wrote back a very nice handwritten letter and included some bookmarks and a book each for the children, and also thanked us for our message of condolence. I still have it.