Here’s the thing; authors mostly live inside their own heads, making up characters and lives and situations and stories that they hope people will enjoy reading about.
And so we write our stories, let the publishers package them up and send them off to Shop-Land, and we’re back inside our heads with the next set of characters.
But then, every so often, a reader will ping an e-mail through, telling you why they loved one of your books. And you know what that feels like? Like the sun has come out, like you could tap-dance all around your weeny back-bedroom writing den.
And today, I got one of those e-mails, from the mum of an eight-year-old girl who’d read one of my books for the first time (‘Honey and Me’, published by Barrington Stoke, and illustrated by the fab Cathy Brett). I was actually sitting writing on my lap-top in a cafe, so I hope no-one saw me go all twinkly-eyed as I read it! Here’s a snippet…
“That’s the thing with ‘Honey and Me’; it has a lasting message throughout the story which Matilda can relate to throughout her life. ‘Honey and Me’ was the first book she actually finished, and when I sat on her bed and she retold the story, it brought me to tears, the way she understood it, she just got it for the first time. She was able to read between the lines and interpret the ending in the way she wanted. That’s why ‘Honey and Me’ will always be a special book in our house!”
What a lovely way to end the week! Only, I’m a little behind with my current book, so I’ll have to work this weekend. But that’s okay; I’ll be lost inside my head, but with a feeling of sunshine and tap-dancing to keep me going…
Karen McCombie
PS Dizzy cat quite likes ‘Honey and Me’ too…
