# Authors that you've written to or e-mailed and received a real reply back. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948 "2008-09-17T03:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/41 "2008-09-17T12:47:41Z")
Several, but most recently, Charles Dickinson, because I loved his time travel novel, A Shortcut in Time, and I asked if there would be a sequel – it cried for a sequel. He said he was working on one. I waited about a year and wrote him again. He said the book is finished but his editor is “mulling it over” and isn’t as excited about it as before, so he’ll either do a rewrite or put it in a drawer. Dammit. ETA: Forgot about a couple of horror writers – Ray Garton and Tom Piccirilli – who is THE go-to guy if you’re trying to remember a book or movie of any genre. Awhile back a Doper had a question about a book and I asked about it on a board where Tim hangs. Turns out he was the author. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/42 "2008-09-17T12:51:09Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > I asked a question today on the website for [Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day](http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?cat=5), and Jeff Hertzberg, one of the authors, replied 22 minutes later. Hey, I just bought that book! Haven’t opened it yet – what was the question? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/43 "2008-09-17T12:59:02Z")
David Palmer, author of [Emergence](http://www.amazon.com/Emergence-David-R-Palmer/dp/0553255193). World SF convention in 1986. I’d brought numerous books to hopefully be signed if their authors happened to be there, Emergence was among them. There was a message board where you could try to contact other con attendees, and he was listed. I left a note for him - and was contacted by someone else who was attending using his membership. She offered to take my copy of Emergence back to him and I gladly accepted, providing money for postage. A month or so later, I got a very nice note from him, with the signed book, with a couple of handwritten corrections made in it to correct printer’s errors and as he said in one case “author’s brain fade”. Sorry he seems to have dropped off the earth, writing-wise. Emergence was a wonderful book. The next one he wrote, Threshold, not so much (readable, just too contrived). But I was looking forward to more in either of those storylines. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/44 "2008-09-17T13:20:13Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > … > > Sorry he seems to have dropped off the earth, writing-wise. Emergence was a wonderful book. The next one he wrote, Threshold, not so much (readable, just too contrived). But I was looking forward to more in either of those storylines. Missed the edit window - but out of curiosity I looked Palmer up in Wikipedia - and found that a sequel to Emergence was just serialized in Analog - as in, the July through October issues :). And they’re available for download to my Palm at [Ereader.com](http://Ereader.com). 🙂 The sequel is called Tracker. Emergence was originally published (well, the first 2 parts) in Analog. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/45 "2008-09-17T13:20:47Z")
Professor JRR Tolkien 🆒 (It was a short polite typed signed reply, which I have mislaid. :smack:) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/46 "2008-09-17T13:23:13Z")
**glee** , look in the books! That’s where I put letters from writers – in their books. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/47 "2008-09-17T13:25:50Z")
Quite a few professionally (and none that are famous), so they certainly don’t count. In 1996 I wrote a letter to Jean Merrill, author of [The Pushcart War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pushcart_War), to tell her about how Mr. S and I discovered that we had both read and enjoyed her book when we were kids, and it was one of the things that brought us together (being book nerds and all). We also enclosed our copy (with SASE) and asked her to sign it. She returned the book with a very funny and sweet inscription and a gracious, amusing, informative, and charming two-page letter on her personal, art-festooned letterhead. It was typed on a typewriter, and she had hand-underlined certain words. She explained a few of the jokes in the book and responded warmly to several things we had told her about ourselves. We had it framed, and it hangs in our living room above the inscribed book, which sits on a small easel on the shelf below. It’s one of our treasures. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/48 "2008-09-17T13:30:52Z")
A friend of mine traded emails with DC Fontana. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/49 "2008-09-17T13:33:15Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > **glee** , look in the books! That’s where I put letters from writers – in their books. You’re sweet. 🙂 But as a nerd, I put correspondence elsewhere. (I’m having a tidyup at home just now, so hopefully it’ll turn up.) ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/50 "2008-09-17T13:38:34Z")
Ivan Stang. ---
**Author:** ![Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikki_Tikki_Tavi)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/51 "2008-09-17T13:50:01Z")
When I was transitioning from vegetarianism to veganism I wrote a question-heavy letter to Sarah Kramer, who has authored several vegan cookbooks. She sent back a very nice (and patient!) reply. I’ve exchanged emails with several AR authors, but that was for fundraising purposes. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/52 "2008-09-17T13:53:47Z")
I emailed John Varley with a question about one of his books that was being discussed in a GQ thread. Not only did he reply to me, he [posted](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7914743&postcount=53) the answer in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/53 "2008-09-17T13:56:35Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > I should really write Terry Pratchett, but what to say? You can start with “Thank you.” 😃 I’ve engaged in correspondence with Spider Robinson on occasion. Usually with puns. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/54 "2008-09-17T14:06:41Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I emailed John Varley with a question about one of his books that was being discussed in a GQ thread. Not only did he reply to me, he [posted](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7914743&postcount=53) the answer in the thread. That’s brilliant. What a cool dude. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/55 "2008-09-17T14:11:42Z")
> [@Influential\_Panda](#): > > That’s brilliant. What a cool dude. Boogers and snot AREN’T the same thing? Well, color me reen and yellow. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/56 "2008-09-17T14:22:25Z")
[stevensaylor](http://www.stevensaylor.com). Liked the books so much I had to email and I got a prompt reply and thank you. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/57 "2008-09-17T14:31:05Z")
I assume writing back and forth with authors I’ve had the luck to collaborate with doesn’t count? 🙂 Other than that, there’s one that… Well, it’s not a single author, per se, and it’d be stretching it to say it counts, but I think it fits here (So there!). A few years back I was helping do research for the possibility of a Cthulhu-based video game for a major developer. In doing so, the last people I remembered having the rights to the great old one himself was Chaosium, and I wrote to them. I received word back that detailed the all-too-interresting state of who owns what from the mythos (Short version: It’s more tangled than face tentacles, and because of that, people generally use what they want as long as they don’t grab something a recent company specifically made). ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/58 "2008-09-17T14:38:59Z")
Many years ago I wrote a letter to Ursula LeGuin, and received a very kind reply. Unfortunately, I don’t know what I ever did with it. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/59 "2008-09-17T15:00:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > … > An answer popped into my head. I clicked the reply link and sent it off. > > I got a very flattering reply from Daniel, and he cited me at the end of the week for the funniest thing he’d read in years. Do we have to twist your arm? I scanned the rest of the thread, and nobody appears to have twisted it yet (unless I missed something). And I’m not gonna go search through Slate… Anyway, I had a healthy e-mail exchange with author and journalist Steven Brunt a while back. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948/60 "2008-09-17T15:18:28Z")
I griped to Scott Adams email address about the redesign of the Dilbert site. I got a nice note back, giving me the URL for the comic without all the crap. At least, it said “Scott Adams” at the bottom of the note, **Shodan** -style. Don’t know if Adams personally sent the note, or if it was an assistant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-that-youve-written-to-or-e-mailed-and-received-a-real-reply-back/463948.md?page=4)