I got fan mail today. Perhaps my first piece of Fan Mail ever.(1) It was about “Lester Young…” What a very nice feeling. It made my day.
But now I should clear off my desk and grade some essays and exams.
With a big grin on my face.
1. I’m not counting comments on the site here, because, although that also makes me happy and is appreciated, comments are not “mail.” I’m not counting emails from reviewers because, while reviewers can be fans, they’re not, er, “civilians” in the way I think of when I think of fans. I’m not counting letters from friends because they don’t have that “Out of the Blue” quality that a piece of fan mail has. And I’m not counting emails from people who think my story is nonfiction and want more information on where this top-secret research is taking place, because, er, well… yeah. So I’m just counting people who aren’t necessarily in the habit of writing about their reading, but decide to email an author out of the blue over their enjoyment of a piece of writing. No offense to the wonderful folks in other categories who’ve emailed or commented encouragement — you’re all lovely too.