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.