I think (as an adult) I have only written one or two fan letters. As a kid I sent them out semi-regularly until I was old enough to realize that the person I sent it to had publicists and probably never even saw a letter from some little girl in Dallas. It is what it is...

Nowadays, I have staved off the temptation. Still, there are plenty of books and authors that I love that I could spend days on end churning out the “I love yous” to my fave people. But, here and now in this stage of my life and my writing career I feel a little weird writing to someone. It’s not that I don’t want to. Hell, I admit, I have done my fair share of gushing about and—God forbid (yes, made a total ass of my self, not once but twice)—to authors I admire.

I bring this up, because I just read a great book. It’s by an author whom I’ve read many many times over very many years. She’s kind of one of those authors I go to to “count on”. She’s my comfort food author. I don’t think I have ever been disappointed in a book of hers. I don’t think there’s a single book I wouldn’t recommend. (And I so want to be her when I grow up) Still, I hesitate to write to her about how much I loved the book I just finished. Because it would seem creepy (to me).

I know her well enough to have seen her around at many an RWA conference, may have been introduced at one point in passing by an mutual acquaintance. I think I have even emailed her once or twice on RWA business in the past. But I don’t “know” her know her, ya know. And I guarantee she has zero clue who I am. Given all that, for some inexplicable reason, I feel all weird and stalkerish about sending her a note. How messed up is that? I thought about doing an open letter praising her in a blog post but that bumped the stalker level up a nice level or two.

I realize I am way over thinking this, and you should know me well enough by now to know I way over think everything anyway... But what would you do? Send the fan letter away and gush ‘til your heart’s content? Or just say, eh, she probably gets enough of those anyway so she’ll never miss mine?

And can I just say, on the flip side of that, it is *SO* terribly awesome to get a “fan” letter. I haven’t gotten that many, but just to know that someone who’s not related to me read my book and enjoyed it enough to send out a note saying so is pretty darn cool (I have kept all the ones I’ve gotten BTW).