You Never Know Who's Reading...

Depending on the heading, I tend to delete email from people I don't know.  I am so glad I read Jenny Tai's email.  Turns out, Jenny is the Features Editor for the New York University (NYU) student newspaper, The Washington News, and she was doing a review of The First Line magazine.  She had enjoyed my story, "Weekend Escapes," in the Summer 2010 issue and wondered if I would give her a quote.  Me?  Me!

Yes, I know that when something of mine is published, whether online or in print, other people are reading it.  That's the point.  But sometimes it takes something tangible, like a nice note from a reader or a request for a quote for an article to bring that surreal concept home to me.  When I write my stories, they feel so small and private.  When I send them out into the world, they become something bigger, more universal than just "my story."  I imagine it's what it's like when you send your child off to school or out into the world - you hope you've made them good, made them strong enough to stand on their own.  You hope they leave a good impression on all they meet.   You hope you've done your best, and you hope you've done enough.

(Unfortunately, I didn't make it into the final piece, but I was thrilled to be asked in the first place.  If you're interested, you can read the article here.)