I wrote to a number of semi-famous militray types back in 72-75, asking questions about their service, etc., hoping for autographs back:
Field-Marshal Montgomery (got a nice letter from his housekeeper that he was too ill to write);
5-Star General Omar N. Bradley (got a nice letter from his aide de camp that he was too ill to write–the aide’s name is one of my favourites: “Lewis S. Swineheart III.”);
Douglas Bader–legless pilot & hero of the Battle of Britain (nice letter back, auto’d photo, & sent German ace Adolf Galland’s address!);
Werner von Braun, rocket scientist;
Several Canadian Victoria Cross winners, one of which died just last week, Cece Merritt.
Since this is my first “real” post (after one on the test board so I don’t come off as overly-newbish), I want to make it count:
I have sent many an e-letter to Mr. Mike Lukas, former host of the short-lived “Straight Dope” program on A&E. He’s actually something of a friend (and a hilarious comic).
In my younger days, I made it a point of sending out a postcard or letter everytime I bought an album with the address of the artist or their fan club.
I received a personal letter from Ruben Blades, which pleased me to no end, as I love his music, movie work and politics.
As part of my human rights work with Amnesty International, I am constantly writing letters to heads of state concerning human rights issues, and have received many letters back, most of them form letters, but some more personalized. Once the Israeli government sent a whole brochure discussing human rights issues in the (then) occupied territories.
I make it a point of not sending unsolicited mail. I loathe the practice of author bothering. I think that I would prefer they write more books rather than answer fan mail. However, I applaud efforts to distract Piers Anthony. He need to be stopped. I loved his earlier works, but anything i read that he wrote since 1994 sucked.
I did send a fan letter to Lawrence Watt-Evans when sending him a check for a book order. He very graciously sent me a Holiday card beautifully illustrated by his daughter with a hand written note in it.
Lawrence Watt-Evans writes excellent fantasy and sci-fi. My favorites of his books are the Ethshar series. I highly reccommend them.
Forgot about authors: I’ve sent fan letters to Jack Finney, Jan Morris, biographers Karen Swenson, Scott Eyman and Steven Bach, and cartoonist Carol Lay, and they all wrote back.
“I loathe the practice of author bothering. I think that I would prefer they write more books rather than answer fan mail.”
—Hey! As an author, I LOVE to be bothered—I answer every single piece of fan mail! That’s why I write to other authors, I know how I love getting fan mail . . .
Since writing to cartoonists seems popular, here’s my story:
In the 3/16/79 Doonesbury, unnoticeded in the background, and running across several panels, were the words “The New Haven Breakfast Club.” No doubt Gary Trudeau was bored and just threw it in as a small inside joke. But the “club’s” lease must have expired, because the following day the same space carried the phrase, “This Space Available.”
I wrote him a letter, enclosed with a $5.00 check – saying I was a poor college kid – and asked to purchase the space. I told him the short wording I wanted him to put there (the nickname of my group of friends).
No, he did not post my ad in the strip. But, obviously amused, he returned my check with a brief, hand-signed note: “Sorry, space no longer available.”
Hey Eve - I’ve never read your books, but consider this a fan letter. You’re sharp, attractive (yeah, I peeked at your photo on the web page) and you play fair. I like that.
And it’s Miss Hathaway, not Mrs. Drydsdale, from the Beverly Hillbillies.
Thanks, Stuy—consider this an answer to your “fan letter.”
And no, it IS Mrs. Drysdale I love: “Oh, Milburn, Granny Clampett wants to come to my reception for Lord and Lady Ferncliffe next week!” Though Miz’ Hathaway DOES have her charms, too.
I got a hand written reply from Kathryn Graham (former publisher of the Washington Post and a hell of a woman) when I wrote and expressed my appreciation of her memoirs.
She’s got terrible handwriting.
I emailed movie critic Roger Ebert and received a reply. When his scathing review of Godzilla appeared, he engaged in some revisionist reviewing. In describing the shoddy Godzilla, who always appears in shadows, he referred to the first appearance of the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, saying that when we saw them “our imaginations leapt up.”
Well, this struck me as odd, because I recalled him opening his review of Jurassic Park dismayed because Speilberg did not follow his own technique from Jaws, which was to delay the appearance of the monster so to as to heighten suspense.
From his Jurassic Park review: “but the movie is lacking other qualities that it needs even more, such as a sense of awe and wonderment, and strong human story values.”
In the Godzilla review, he said, "There is a true sense of wonder in “Jurassic Park.”
So I called him on it, but he denied it of course, backpedaling all the way. I HOPE I’ve still got it around here someplace!
I’ve also written to Dave Barry, and got a hand-signed postcard, something to the effect that I needed immediate psychiatric attention. I sent him an article that appeared in a small daily paper about some guy who’d sent his wife 100 red roses, and one white one, for their anniversary. I thought he’d be perfectly appalled.
