Tell An Author You Care Day! - Monday!

Imagine meeting an author, and telling them how much you loved their book. They're surprised. You think they're just being gracious, but nope -- they haven't heard.

Much of the work people do anywhere doesn't get gold stars and smiley stickers. And writers -- well, we get impertinent questions from our reading group, and pithy notes from our agents. We get the Writer-Hating Bus, we get told by our parents about their friends children who just had their first child or are researching diseases at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta or just married a physicist who works at the Livermore labs, and we wonder if we'd really be better off just cleaning the house and getting A Real Job. While writing is awesome, it is also sometimes a tiring, solitary and bizarre profession in which you spend more time talking to imaginary friends than not. When we were in school we were always encouraged to write letters to authors -- so why not now, as (alleged) adults? July 16th is Tell An Author You Care Day, as awesomely instituted by Emily Beeson @ Whimsy Blog. It's a day of paying forward the pleasure someone's work has given you. It 's a day of small effort with the potential to make a major difference.

All that's required is to:

1. Write a letter or email to a favorite author. I think JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer recieve plenty of fan letters. Think of an author you love who may need a little boost.

2. Write a positive review on Amazon and, if you want to, link to it in your blog.

3. Buy a book by a favorite author and give it to someone who will enjoy it.

4. Profile an author in your blog. I'm not talking just another review. Tell us a little about the author and mention at least one of his/her books that you love.

Scotland is five hours ahead of us... maybe I'll drop Our Jane a note before I go to bed.