Letters from Readers - and why I write for kids

I write a column for a newspaper in my spare time and once got a cranky letter from “anonymous” who didn’t understand my sense of humor. I wish I could write “just kidding” at the end of every column, but my editor won’t let me. My editor said to “blow it off. People only write when they don’t like some, but rarely when they do.”

I’ve only received one negative letter about my Connor Westphal mystery series. The reader chastised me because she felt the dog in the series was neglected. “Connor never feeds the dog, walks the dog, grooms the dog…”

Now that I’m writing The Code Busters Club, a mystery series for kids, I get tons of letters! What a difference! I thought I’d share some of their wonderful comments with you today. Some are heartfelt, some hilarious. Watch out...you may want to write for kids yourself when you’re finished reading them…

Dear Penny Warner,
Thank you for showing us how to do the secret codes and it was very cool to learn about. I’m really going to miss you. PS. You are a great athor. Love Nami

Dear, Mrs. Warner,
Thanks for coming into our classroom personally to teach us about codes. My favorite code is the “semaphore” code (flags) because I can see it be used in sports and it is really cool to understand what the refs were doing. Sorry for not buying your books but I am not the biggest fan of books. Viln, Xozbtlm  (in code)

Dear Mrs. Warner,
Thank you for coming to Mr. B's class. But what i really want to talk about are those AWESOME  codes. I learned how to say, "Hi my name is Leah." And I'm going to buy Code Busters #1 from your series. Sincerely, Leah 

Dear Mrs.Warner
This is Destiny Santiago. I learned so much just from you. Once again thank you email me back. I'll be doing the same. I'll be showing people this book for now and forever.

 Dear Mrs. Warner
     Hello, My name is Natalie from Greenbrook/ When you taught us about sign language I fell in love with it because it was so fun, and now I do it daily and I am getting really good at it. I hope you come back to my school again, BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  From Natalie

 Thank You Mrs. Penny Warner for coming to our class. It was amazing to learn about codes that i never knew about! I have never met an author and i think its amazing that i had met an author, an amazing author, you. Thank you for your time.  Brianna

Dear Miss. Warner,
My name is Julia and I want to thank you for the amazing presentation you gave my class and I. I think Code Busters sound like a really great book and I already asked my parents if I could get it! My mom and I have a question though, what kind of people use  semaphore code? Would be blind or def people? Love,  Julia

Dear Mrs.Warner
Thank you for coming into to our class and telling all of us about your new book called Code Breaker. I am taking the slip home and getting your new, awesome book.     From,  Casey

 Dear Mrs. Warner,                                           
I am super elated to get the book and i went on your website about a million times! From, Amelia

Dear Ms.Penny Warner,
    Thank you for the presentation. I hope your next book will be about dragon mysteries - I love reading about them  . PS:  I love your book. It has so much good description.  Hope I learn to write like that.     From Christopher           

Dear Mrs. Warner,
Thank you for your kindness of coming to our school and taking time from your own imperative life. By the way, the free, super-awesome gadgets you gave us are AWESOME. I really liked the origami pocket storage. Thank you for personally signing the books. Sincerely, Yusuke.

Dear Mrs. Warner,
Thank you for the cool codes—they rock!!! I love the invisible pen. You can draw on anything but only on things your aloud to draw on of coucse and know one can see it. I wish I had brought money for the book. It was so cool to meat an author. I love to read. Fondly, Laura

Thank-you Mrs. Warner,
Thank you for the evidence. I use it every day to crack the codes, like chapter 12, the food fight. I read that yesterday. Thank you for all the work you put into your presentation.  From Michael

Dear Mrs. Warner,
I am writing to thank you for taking your personal time to fold the origami pockets. They are fun to play with when my mom is ouside watering the garden. I am using my code marker and putting notes under my mom’s pillow.  Love, Kendall.

Dear Penny Warner,
Thank you so much for coming to the library. It was awesome. I love the gadgets cause now I can trick my brother. It was very fun.  Sincerrly, Paulina

Dear Mrs. Warner,
I love your book Code Busters. Please make more books!  Your fan, Gabriella

Dear Mrs. Warner,
You recently came to the San Leandro Library to do a Code Busters Club "meeting".  Attached to this e-mail is my review for your new book Code Busters Club book 1 the search for the Skeleton Key.  I'm sorry for the weird signs at the beginning, our computer has been broken and we just go it fixed.  I hope that my review was helpful. – Tyler

Who else wanted to be Annie Oakley?

I recently asked some kids who visited my child development class what they want to be when they grow up. The answers were standard—the younger girls wanted to be princesses and the younger boys wanted to be super heroes. The older girls wanted to be veterinarians and the older boys wanted to be pro athletes.

Little did they know that by the time they get to high school, they’d have more choices than they can imagine. When I was in high school, the choices were more limited—if you were a female. I was encouraged to choose from the following: airline stewardess (I get air sick), secretary (I didn’t want to type all day), nurse (I hated the thought of giving shots), or teacher (short days, long vacations—that was for me!)

    Some adult friends recently shared their “What I wanted to be when I grew up” stories, and I found their answers interesting.

    “I wanted to be a dolphin trainer until my mother reminded me I would need to be good at science.” – Lori (now in insurance business)

    “My guidance counselor suggested I become a secretary because it would be a waste of my parent's money to send me to college, only to have me get married and quit work to raise children.”  – Denise (degree in psychology)

    “I wanted to be an astronaut and a trapeze artist and Batgirl. All involved flying through the air, which is something I only do now on vacation.” – Julie (nurse)

“At first I wanted to be an Olympic skater but then became a cop. I was in such good shape from skating, I had no problem passing the police academy physical, where I had to drag 160-pound dummy, run  200 yards and jump over a six-foot wall, complete an obstacle course, jump back over the wall, run 200 yards back within a set time frame.” – Robin (cop)

“I wanted to be a lion tamer. I used to make my dogs jump through hoops.” -  Janet (writer)

“I made a list of princes to see if they'd still be eligible by the time I was old enough to marry. Then I realized that the occupation of princess was very limited.” - Nancy (mom)

“I wanted to major in English, but was told by my father that such a major was worthless.” – Linda (writer)

“I wanted to be Annie Oakley, then a biochemist, then an oceanographer, then an ecologist, then a lawyer, then a historian, then a filmmaker. It was a really long list.” – Jan (writer)

“I wanted to be a bride in a gorgeous gown. I didn't want to get married. I only wanted the gown. I also wanted to be a princess and a ballerina and an Ice Capades dancer, mainly because of the beautiful costumes.”  –Diane (crafts woman)

“All I wanted to be was a pin setter in a bowling alley.  I thought it was the most glamorous job in the world.” – Pat (writer)

As for me, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I suppose I should make a decision, but there are so many great careers available today, I don’t want to miss out on any. Of course, being a writer, I can be anything I want—at least in my imagination.

Why I write mysteries

“I write my mysteries for pleasure, mine and I hope yours, and for money.”- Joe Gores

That's why Joe Goes writes mysteries, which got me thinking about why I write mysteries:

1.    I like solving a puzzle.

2.    I like the structure of the mystery.

3.    I love bringing the bad guy to justice.

4.    I like that you can add romance to the mystery.

5.    I like that there’s a beginning, middle and end.

6.    I like figuring out fresh ways to kill people.

7.    I love researching different poisons, weapons, and household objects as murder methods.

8.    I love the mystery community – everyone is so supportive and friendly.

9.    I love bringing together characters, settings, and plot.

10.    Most of all, I love reading mysteries.

So why do you write or read mysteries?

An Interest in Pinterest

  
 I need an intervention.

I’m addicted to Pinterest.com. I can’t seem to control my impulse to just “take a quick peek” at the latest social networking site. In case you don’t know about Pinterest, I’ll share the explanation I found on the world’s most trusted authority—Wikipedia.

    “Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more.”

In other words, it’s a place where you can see cool stuff. And it’s updated constantly so there’s always something new to see. According to Wiki, it’s one of fastest growing social services in the world, with 11.7 million visitors. Not surprisingly, 83% of the site's users are females ranging in age from 34 to 44. I’m a little over that demographic, but then I’ve always been immature for my age.

    A “friend” turned me on to Pinterest about a year ago, and since then I’ve checked the site more often than I check my email. Before Pinterest, I used to spend what little free time I had doing something worthwhile, like playing Drawing with Friends, texting my kids, updating my Facebook page, and reading the latest news on TMZ.

Pinterest has replaced all of that.

    Unfortunately, while the site is fun to visit, it’s also very addicting. Thanks to Pinterest, I now own four pairs of Tom’s shoes (buy one, send one to a needy child), I’ve tried numerous new recipes (like Cake Mix Rice Krispie Squares), I’ve painted my nails to look like Angry Birds  (mostly they just look angry), I’ve learned how to dress like a Disney Princess (Snow White, in a yellow top, blue shorts, and red Tom’s), I know what to do with leftover Peeps (turn them into Peep S’mores), and I’ve cut up a perfectly good t-shirt in an attempt to make it a shawl (mine looks like a cut-up t-shirt).

    Yes, there’s a plethora of information on Pinterest—How to make Pumpkin-Nutella-Jack Daniel Cupcakes, How to Hard Boil Eggs in the Oven, How to Use Glow Sticks in the Tub so Your Kids Will Take a Bath, and so many other ideas, I wouldn’t have time to try them all in my lifetime, let alone “repin” them.

    So why is the site so addicting? Maybe it’s because I’m bound to find important tips on making a hostess gift (stuff a bottle of wine in a Sock Monkey), creating beautiful artwork (out of melted crayons), whipping up a snack for the grandkids (Hot Dog/Noodle Octopus), and announcing my engagement to my next husband with Scrabble pieces (so far no need). The list goes on forever.

It’s only when you realize that you haven’t eaten for days (not even Cake Mix Rice Krispie Squares), haven’t gotten dressed (in that T-shirt/scarf), and haven’t turned off Pinterest since you logged on days ago, that you realize you need help.

Please feel free to join me at a P.A. meeting, where we can share stories of our addiction (and tips for making Sweet Potato Boats), enjoy some real-time social interaction (and “like” each other), and rid ourselves of this insidious disease called Neurotic Infectious Pinterism (PIN spelled backward).

I’ll be there as soon as I’m done getting a tattoo on my backside that looks like Ryan Gosling.

Sunday Family Dinner...open the wine...

Sunday dinner is a tradition in our family. Ever since the kids left home and married and had kids of their own, we've invited them all over for a weekly home-cooked meal.

My husband does the cooking -- I left the kitchen behind when my last child left for college -- and he always whips up something wonderful, like veal saltimbocca, chicken cordon bleu, or pork tenderloin carnitas.

The kids often ask what we're having, no doubt afraid that I might return to the kitchen and try to prepare my famous chicken Kiev (in which I accidentally left out the chicken.) So far, they've been lucky.

My daughter likes to eat early so she can get the kids to bed and therefore shows up at 5 p.m. My son prefers eating late and doesn't come until 6 or so. It's not a problem, because that gives me plenty of time to have a glass of wine.

When everyone is here, the grandkids play until they fight, then we serve them dinner. Since they won't eat what Tom cooks, their parents scrounge through our refrigerator in search of anything their kids might swallow -- cheese pizza (microwaved); frozen peas (still frozen); blueberry yogurt (with the blueberries removed); cheese slices (orange, not white); peanut butter sandwich (creamy, with the crusts cut off); avocado (meant for the salad); or bell pepper slices (also meant for the salad).

After the grandkids are done eating, 2-year-old Lyla hides in the pantry and helps herself to ice cream cones, sans ice cream. Three-year-old Stephanie heads for the play kitchen to make us "hot coffee" and "birthday cake." Four-year-old Luke wants to watch a video, but not the one 7-year-old Bradley wants, so we turn off the TV and they go to the guest room to jump on the bed.

Meanwhile, I have another glass of wine.

While the adults enjoy Tom's cooking, I bring up interesting topics to discuss, such as "How was your week?" or "Got any new apps?" but my grown children prefer to share stories about my latest embarrassing moments, such as how I got that big bruise on my backside (I was standing on the bathroom scale -- on one leg, of course, so I'd be lighter -- and lost my balance, grabbed the towel rack, which came loose in my hand, and ended up falling into the bathtub, bruising my tailbone.

Luckily, during their story retelling, I help myself to what's left in the wine bottle.

Once dinner is over, the grandkids return to the table for ice cream -- each one wants a different flavor. We adults try to play a game, like Rummikub or Farkle, until the grandkids try to take over and we lose track of who's winning.

Then my kids pick up their kids and head for home, leaving behind a family room that looks like a preschool after it's been ransacked.

When we're done cleaning up the mess, Tom and I collapse on the couch, put in a video we've been looking forward to seeing, and sleep through it, having survived another Sunday Family Dinner.

Can't wait until next Sunday for more "birthday cake," more jumping on the bed, more embarrassing stories, more interrupted games and lots more wine. It's a tradition.