I received an incredibly thoughtful email last week from a reader of my novel Ghost Medicine, and I wanted to post it here. I will add, though, that things like this really make my day -- knowing that there are people out there who find a connection to what I've worked on...Hi Mr. Andrew Smith,
I’m an English major with an emphasis in creative writing. Whenever an author is asked to give advice to future writers, the author always seems to say read. So that’s what I’ve been doing, and I’ve fallen in love with the Young Adult genre.
While I was searching the library shelves and internet for books, I wondered why there aren’t any horse books. I grew up reading every horse book I could get my hands on. I even checked out books on how to draw horses. Then when I got to junior high and high school, the horse books seemed to disappear. So when I saw the cover of Ghost Medicine, I whipped it off the shelf and checked it out without reading the inside flap to see what it was about – I was that excited to finally have a cowboy book to read.
Ghost Medicine didn’t let me down. It was a powerful novel with intensity, friendship, love, adventure, and heartbreak. There was strong description, the dialogue felt real, and I was completely caught up in the story. I was amazed by the character development, and I felt like I knew the characters better than some of my own friends. Maybe if everyone had a novel written about themselves, we’d all understand each other a little better.
After I finished your book, I went to your website, and I decided to send this email to tell you I really enjoyed your novel. I love reading because of books like Ghost Medicine. Good luck with your future writings and I’ll watch for your new book this fall.
