Andy's Big Surprise--Part Two

After Andy returned to her seat, Ms. Jaquays announced that they were all to line up and head for the multi-purpose room. When Andy and her classmates came parading in, I was waiting for them. Earlier in the week the students had been told that an author was coming in for a talk, but in their excitement and anticipation for their Christmas break, they had mostly forgotten about it. So in came Andy with her classmates and when she saw me, the look on her face was that of utter astonishment.

"What are you doing here, Aunt Noel?" she asked, giving me a huge hug.

Hugging her back, I felt tears welling up. We had done it, Andy's teacher, Andy's mother, and I. We had managed to surprise her after weeks of planning.

If Andy felt a little embarrassed before, she probably felt even more embarrassed during my presentation. I like to think, though, that she was also secretly very pleased. I read a chapter from the book and explained how Andy helped with my manuscript. I also talked about the creative process, the steps I took in the writing of the book, and then the magical hour was over. Another hug and Andy went back to class with her teacher, and Andy's mother and I left to go back to work.

Andy's Big Surprise --Part One

Andy's language arts teacher (the former Ms. Jaquays) called Andy up to her desk one winter morning at the start of class. There on the edge of her desk was the book and when Andy saw it, she threw her hands to her mouth and squealed. Ms. Jaquays directed her to the book-marked page so she could read the dedication. When Andy returned to her seat book in hand, I like to think she was happy. Stunned and maybe even a little embarrassed but happy. The first part of the surprise was over, and the second part was about to begin.

Planning Andy's Big Surprise

I thought long and hard about how to surprise Andy. I envisioned her tearing off the ribbon and paper at Christmas and seeing her face when she saw the cover. I imagined her eyes widening and her jaw dropping and then her shrieking a little when she went to the book-marked dedication page to read what was written there. She is wonderfully expressive that way--good and bad register grandly in equal measure. She had no idea that the book would be published or even dedicated to her. I didn't tell many people just in case things didn't work out. So just seeing her expression would be my payback for all those months of reading, and I was really looking forward to it. When the moment came, however, I wasn't there to see it. But an even bigger surprise was in store for her, and that time I was there.

Who is Andy? The "Dedication" Story

Andy is my niece and a very attentive reader. A year and a half ago when she was in 6th grade, she was feeling a bit lonely on school mornings waiting for her ride to come. So I started reading to her over the phone. (I lived too far away to visit and keep her company.) So I read a few books to her before I thought to read from my own manuscript, The Second Navigon. She was part of my target audience of middle-grade students, she loved books, and I was interested in getting her opinion of the story.

Our routine went something like this. She'd get up, eat breakfast, get dressed and organize her stuff for school and then she'd call me. In the meantime I would do the same thing except I'd be getting ready to write. (I wrote in the mornings and then headed to work in the afternoon.) It was usually 8:20 a.m. when the phone would ring. I had marked the passage where we had left off the day before and we'd quickly discuss what had happened and then I'd start reading. Chapter beginnings were always fun because I got to describe John's thumbnail so she could get some idea of what was coming next. She always had questions which I wouldn't answer so as not to give anything away. But her questions were always enthusiastic and urgent and sometimes even pleading: "Oh come on, Aunt Noel, tell me--I won't tell anyone, I promise." This led me to believe that I had something exciting and enjoyable for kids her age to read. Sometimes she caught mistakes that I had overlooked. (An example of this was when I referred to Jules's blond hair when he was, in face, brown-haired.) So she also became my "workshop of one" and together we were both benefiting from and enjoying the process. Usually at 8:40 a.m. she'd interrupt me, sometimes mid-sentence to announce that her ride had come and that would end our session until the next morning.

I don't remember how long this process continued exactly but I do know it went on for months. By the time I'd finished reading her the book, she was no longer so afraid of being home alone on school mornings, and I had come to believe that my manuscript had merit and should be published.

So I dedicated the story to her, thinking to surprise her with a copy when the book came out. Somehow though a simple dedication didn't seem enough for our work together so I hit upon an even better idea . . . . Stay tuned for that story.