To the 7th graders at Perry Middle School:
Hi there, thanks for reading my book. Yes, it’s me, the author. If you love my book—I wrote it. And if you hate my book—well, I still wrote it.
Hi there, thanks for reading my book. Yes, it’s me, the author. If you love my book—I wrote it. And if you hate my book—well, I still wrote it.
As 7th graders, you are officially on your journey as a reader, which will take you into the pages of countless books, from here through high school, college, and beyond.
With that in mind, let me give you a little advice: Look for Flintstones Chewables.
By this I mean, some books are good for you, but they go down like aspirin without water. Even though they are great stories, classics even, they get stuck in your throat and taste bitter. For me, that book was Of Mice And Men. For you, it might be something else entirely.
Then there are other books which are easy to read, they’re fun, they taste good, but they have no intellectual or nutritional value. They’re like Gummy Bears.
So I encourage you to find the book version of Flinstones Chewable Vitamins. They look interesting, come in fun shapes, they taste good, and are wonderful for you. These are the books that intrigue you, challenge you, but always carry you away to far off places and different worlds, different times. These books entertain, inspire, and leave you a different person.
I hope HOTEL is one of those books. For some it might be on the aspirin side. For others, they’ll chew it up like cotton candy. Either way, keep reading, keep searching, keep trying new books and find what’s right for you.
And yes, I’ll be popping onto this blog now and then, so if you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc…please don’t hesitate.
Jamie
Hi, Jamie! Thank you for taking some time to post such a great letter to us at Perry Middle School. I love the way you compared different types of books to aspirin, gummy bears, and Flinstones Chewable vitamins. That made me think about books in a whole different way. If you have the time (I know bestselling authors like you are very busy), I would like to know what inspired you to become an author.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your book!
rs suprise838
Thanks for doing this! I think it will be really cool to get to discuss the book on here while were reading it!
ReplyDeleteeliamnumber4
Jamie- How inspirational. I read a lot, and that philosophy about the "gummy bear" or "Flintstones Vitamins" was more true than anything I've ever heard about the action of reading. I also want to thank you for taking the time to communicate w/ my class.
ReplyDeleterdRoxy4
Thank you Mr. Ford for dedicating your time to talk on this blog. I cannot wait to start reading this book!!
ReplyDeletetsace12
I am very excited to start reading this book, I absolutly love the cover.
ReplyDelete-ampettyfer
Hi! I really think the cover of your book is amazing and I can't wait to read it!I'm very tempted to start reading now but we aren't suposed to because we are going to start reading tomorrow. My class watched the movie and I had no ideathat the places in your book were actual places. Most books either make up places or only say the names of the landmarks that are in the book; Such as the Empire State Building. I hope that I am going to enjoy this bookand I look forward to reading it.
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sierra foxtrot
I really liked your analogy about aspirin, gummy bears, and flinstones chewables, I've never looked at reading that way. I think your book will be the flinstones chewables kind of book. Thanks so much for participating in our blog
ReplyDeletelfguns7
Hi Jamie! I love to read,so its an honor to be able to interact with an actual author. Just like everybody else, I greatly appreciate you taking time out of your very busy life to to talk to us.The cover of your book is very sweet,I love it. Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteHM Stormy97
Hi thank you Jamie for taking your time to spend with this blog.Did you always want to be an author and what made your want to write about this topic.Thank you for you time
ReplyDeleteknsplash
Hi thank you Jamie for taking your time to spend with this blog.Did you always want to be an author and what made your want to write about this topic.Thank you for you time.
ReplyDeleteknsplash
I'm really excited to read this book! It sounds so good! And thank you very much for taking your time to answer our questions.
ReplyDeletemsgemini11
Hi, I am very excited to get started on reading your book! It sounds very inspirational, It seems very interesting and I think I will enjoy it. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to discuss the book with us.
ReplyDeletecichocothunder25
This book is based on such an interesting topic, it is so unique and creative that when I first heard of it, I was stunned. There is also so much history to be told by this book, I'm itching to be a part of this experience.
ReplyDelete-vb purpledawnraven
Thanks Jamie for letting us communicate with you! I read alot(not as much as my other classmates...but still alot. I can't wait to start reading your novel! I do have some questions though. How did you first discover writing books and how did you think of the idea for HOTEL? Thanks again!
ReplyDelete*lrmusic*
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us! I think it's great that you wrote a book about the sort of prejudice back then, because even nowadays, so long after the Civil War and Martin Luther King Jr. and so much other stuff, I think that some people still haven't gotten the message, and this book helps people realize that prejudice doesn't just mean African-Americans. Keep up the good work! Amd the cover looks amazing.
ReplyDeletemjaphrodite
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I already have some questions, and I can't wait to read your book!
ReplyDelete-mbjohann72
Hi Jamie, Thanks for doing this for our class. I think it is really cool to meet an author. Since this comment was late and we have already started the book, I think your book is very descriptive and really intersting. I look forward to reading the rest. Thanks again for doing this for my class. BYE!!
ReplyDeleteSf
Sierra foxtrot
Wow--I'm soooooo late in replying. Sorry! I've been traveling constantly. (I'm in Duluth, MN at the moment, then off to Phoenix tomorrow)
ReplyDeleteFrom *lrmusic* - How did you first discover writing books and how did you think of the idea for HOTEL?
It started when I was in grade school. I was a TOTAL comics geek. I didn't dream of being the next Hemingway, I wanted to be the next Stan Lee (Editor/writer of Marvel Comics). I guess there was a part of me that always wanted to be a storyteller, rather than a writer. I just kept at it, kept writing short stories, kept dreaming up ideas...and of course, kept reading.