It's amazing to me that almost five years after Dear Toni, was published that I am still hearing from kids who are enjoying the story. I love that Gene, Toni, Winn, and The Fly all continue to live on through the reading and imaginations of people from all over the world. Wow! And now with A Tinfoil Sky published, I know that some of you are getting to know Mel. She is definitely someone worth knowing! At least that is how I feel. She inspires me!

This is one of the most fantastic aspects of being an author.  Why, you ask. Well, for most of the time you are writing you are alone with these characters; their personalities and their experiences are slowly taking form. Then, all of a sudden, they  take on a life of their own and  the next thing you know they are telling you the story, and before you know it the story is finished. The characters (which  feel like real people) are soon to be in the hands of readers, both discovering and being discovered. 

 "A story and its characters are nothing more than simple keystrokes inked to a page. It is the reader who breathes life into the characters, allowing them to truly live." A quote from A Tinfoil Sky acknowledgements

Of course this is not only the case for my books, it's for all stories, all characters. I just love the idea of characters from a book all resting on the page.  I can imagine their growing anticipation when the book is lifted from the shelf, perused, and then clutched in the arms of the potential reader.  

Perhaps the next time you are in a library, or investigating a shelf of books in a bookstore, think about those characters. Think about the idea of bringing them to life. Think about  getting to know them and traveling somewhere, maybe even to a different time and place. And then think about going there, all of you, together.

Wishing you a wonderful year of reading–and writing!

Cyndi