Month: October 2009

Letter from Ralph

Letter from Ralph

Hi Todd,

I’m a fan of many of your mother’s books also your last 1.5 books Pern (I think that’s the number).

I’m an audio book listener and have enjoyed all the readings until now.

The reader for Dragonheart is insulting to anyone over the age of seven. I can’t stand it. Please give the reader new directions for the next book or switch back to the prior reader if that’s possible.

Like I said, I can’t get through Dragonheart, but I did enjoy Dragon’s Blood and Dragon Harper and all the others.

If you can find a tactful way to query your listeners maybe you could determine if I have a lot of company. I suspect I do but most wouldn’t bother to comment or simply vanish.

Thank you very much Todd for considering this suggestion. I do enjoy how the stories connect and overlap and appreciate the effort you put into that.

Ralph

Hi Ralph,

I’m really sorry that you couldn’t get through the audio Dragonheart and I’ve forwarded your email on to the audio book publisher.

Usually when they’re doing the audio books they do an abridged version and send me a copy of their proposed script beforehand which is usually my cue to send them notes on pronounciation and all (and, always quite interesting to me as the abridged versions always challenge me to consider that I could make the books shorter). That didn’t happen this time, I don’t know why.

We’ll do our best to see it doesn’t happen again!

Cheers,
Todd

Letter from Jay

Letter from Jay

Dear Todd,

I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am to hear that your father has passed away. Having been through this myself I can understand to a degree what you must be feeling. (To a degree, because like so many things grief is something that’s personal). All I can say is that it will get easier “time is a great healer” and that people are never truly gone from us, as long as we remember them and keep them in our thoughts and hearts.

My heart goes out to you and your family at this time,

Jay.

Dear Jay,

Thank you very much for your kind words! I really appreciate them.

I was very glad to be with Dad just before the end. We’d been through a lot together, not all of it good, but, when all’s said and done, he did all right.

Cheers,
Todd

Letter from Dobie

Letter from Dobie

Todd, when I last saw you was at the ’09 Aggie Con where you wheted the ENTIRE room’s interest for the new book I think it was Dragongirl.. I could be mistaken but I thought it would be out after Christmas around the end of Jan?? Now I have seen some of the current letters that it had apparently been pushed back to some time in April…Is that true???

I finally finished reading the book Tales from Dragon Con. It was a hoot from cover to cover.

How is you MUM doing? Do you think we will be seeing any more books from her??

Take care & will see you at Aggie Con if you are there. Dobie.

Hi Dobie,

I sure am hoping to get to Aggiecon.

Dragongirl is coming out in April. I was hoping to have it finished toward the end of last year but I didn’t get it done until mid-March, so the slip’s all mine.

The good news is that Dragonrider (its sequel) is already finished and with the publisher now.

Mum’s hanging in there. She’s hoping to get the energy to continue with her “After the Fall is Over.” And, of course, she’s been doing stuff with me, too!

Cheers,
Todd

Letter from John

Letter from John

I had sent this before to the email on your mother’s site, but as I cannot be sure it went through I wanted to be sure it made it to you guys. Thanks for continuing your mother’s wonderful work!
Thanks!

Dear Mrs. McCaffrey,

I wish to begin by telling you how much I enjoy your writing, but before I get into the reason I am writing to you I want to give you a little background information about myself.

I am an only child the son of an elementary/special education teacher, and understandably I went into school knowing most of what I was learning including how to read. I was ahead of my peers and was bored with the books that were read to us; it was at this point that my dislike of reading began. As I went on in school my reading ability was always above my age level and the reading program used at my school at the time would not allow you to read books above your age range, this only made my dislike of reading worse. By the time I was in the 6th grade (12 years old) I could not stand reading, and I did not see how people could read for pleasure. This greatly upset my family as they were all avid readers and our house had to have an extra room made into a library to store all of their books. It was in my 7th grade year that everything changed.

I had a new English teacher who was very pro-reading and we always read at least a short story each day. Around two months into the year we were assigned to read a story which changed my life. It was a printing of “The Smallest Dragonboy” and I loved it. Within two weeks I had read every book in the Dragonrider series that had been written up until that point (1998-1999). Everyone was glad I was now enjoying reading, but they were far from understanding what I felt. I did not enjoy it, I needed it! A burning desire had awoke within me and with each book I read I experienced pure joy.

I have grown and aged since then, and there is not a day that goes by that I do not read something for the pure joy that it gives me. I am happy to say that your books, which I have now read them all, takes the center spot in my collection. If I do not have a new novel to read, it is the Dragonrider series that I go back to reread. I always have at least one McCaffrey book with me no matter where I go. From that one change in my life my plans for the future have done a 180. Where before I wanted nothing more to work with computers I now have work in the school system for 5 years. I am about to finish my degree to be a teacher where I am dual majoring in Elementary and Special Education. I hope that one day I will be able to make such a change in a student’s life.

Words alone cannot describe how much I want to thank you for helping me discover both my calling in life and the joy of reading, you will forever be one of my heroes.

My Eternal Thanks,
John

Hi John,

I’ve forwarded this letter on to Mum.

Being a teacher is one of the most important and hideously underpaid vocations in the world today. I’m sure you’ll make a great one!

Cheers,
Todd