Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Puppy Love


Illustration by Janet Cleland

That picture illustrates how I felt all day today!
I got a delightful surprise this morning! A wee book in the mail and this note!

from...

Yes!!!

How did this happen?
Well.........I have been a huge fan of Dean Koontz since reading The Watchers, years ago. Often when reading a book of his I will come across a passage that really speaks to me or an insight of his that resonates and sometimes something that just makes me laugh really hard. I have wanted to contact him for years. In the back of every book of his, there is mailing address.

Finally, a month ago, after reading his latest book in which there is a hysterically funny scene with a sweet bun and the consumption of it, I decided to sit down and pen a short letter. I also sent him one of my prints as a thank-you for all the years of reading pleasure he has provided me with. I thought he would enjoy it and that was that. Never in a million years did I expect to hear anything back. This man gets 10,000 letters a year.


The book he sent is called is called I, Trixie Who is Dog and it is wonderful fun. What you might not know about Koontz is that he has an abiding soft spot for dogs. Trixie a beautiful Golden, and a retired companion dog was their loveable family pet. She sadly died at twelve. This book, a few others and a new one in October, Trixie and Jinx, are his tribute to her love and faithful companionship.
100% of the proceed of these books go to
Canine Companions for Independence.

and look..... he personalised it:) I'm thrilled.

15 comments:

moosegirlmaria said...

WOW, Shelagh! That's AWESOME!! I, too, love Dean Koontz. Congratulations, you lucky "dog"!
: P

Snap said...

How exciting. I've always enjoyed Mail Call, but this was extra special. There are nice people out there. Kudos to Koontz for being one of them (you too)!!!

Fiona said...

That's stupendous! People have told me that his books are enjoyable. Certainly that note paints him as a very pleasant man!
Fi(f)ona

ElleBee said...

That is so exciting Shelagh! What a lovely surprise. :) I love his books too.

Sara said...

What a treasure! That was really cool - and kind! What a lovely man!

I'll be reading more of his books!

Sharon said...

How fun is that?! I just love when things like this happen. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

Unknown said...

omg how cool! What a lovely looking book too. Hmm have never read Dean Koontz but perhaps I will now!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a wonderful surprise from Dean Koontz, Shelagh! The book looks delightfyl!

grass.hopper said...

Congrats!! I'll bet your letter stood out amongst the 10,000 others. My DH works for someone who gets lots of err...correspondence. He says that the hand-written letters go to the top of the pile because there is the impression that more effort went into them :)

PS: I see that he took the time to ensure that your name is spelled correctly - twice...bonus points!

aliceinparis said...

I was delighted and grateful. Really, this was one of the nicest surprises I have had.

Moose said...

Mom is SOOOOO jealous and is happy to see you have that great book!!! Enjoy and always Tail Wags,
~moose

Kelly said...

This is awesome! How wondeful that he sent this to you...just wonderful!

Dolores said...

What a wonderful and thoughtful person.

renin said...

wow!

Glenn said...

HOW FREAKIN AMAZING!! I am also a Koontz fan...I would never write because I assumed there would be some hired staff member reading letters and sending out photos! Good for you!