Two Lovely Brooklyn Girls

The best thing about writing for teens is that some of them actually write back. This is especially wonderful if I'm having a really bad day. A note like, "I loved your book, it was so funny, and when are you going to write a sequel?" is one of the best feelings in the world. If I can give a teenager a bit of enjoyment, then I have done my job.

But last week something even more wonderful happened. I received an email, but it wasn't from a teen. It was from a very kind Norwegian-American gentleman. He informed me that his 88 year-old mother is reading my novel - Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn - over the phone to her 89 year-old blind sister. Wow. The two women grew up in the Norwegian community of Brooklyn during the 1940s, and my book is bringing back fond memories for them. I was truly blown away.