When I was about 15, I wrote to Maud Hart Lovelace to let her know how much I enjoyed the Betsy-Tacy series. I also told her that, like Betsy, I loved to write stories and poems and that I wasn't good at cooking and sewing (also like Betsy). Imagine my surprise when I received a postcard with Betsy's picture on it and a note from Maud. She told me to keep on writing and to make sure I kept trying to cook and sew so that I would be able to run a household. I was thrilled! I remember the card was from Claremont, CA and I read it over and over. Sadly, the card was lost when we moved to a new home and it was and is a big loss! Years later, I went to a Betsy-Tacy Club meeting in Brooklyn, NY and was honored to meet Maud's daughter. She signed one of my books and it was a lot of fun to meet her and to talk about her mother.