Fan Letter Friday: Helen Moss

Dear Helen Moss,

What better way to start my fan letter series than with you. I live in India and originally had never heard of your name. In our school, during rainy seasons(as we cannot walk to the library), we have a system called ‘classroom library.’ In this system we were handed a book for 30 mins in our library period and had to read that and only that book. The teacher who took this period for us handed me The Mystery of a Drowning Man. I was(and still am) a voracious reader and at that time was fan boying over Agatha Christie. I had at the first moment rejected Emily, Jack and Scott, as THEY WERE NOT HERCULE PIOROT.

I am so glad I was wrong. Three chapters into the book and I wished that the period would never end. It unfortunately did. The teacher took the books away, and fast forward to the next week.

It’s library period and the book is missing. I can’t find the damn book, so I take out my journal and write OPERATION MISSING BOOK in all caps and underline it twice. Long story short, Someone else in the school drenched the book. Then the book was sent into binding. But I won’t wait that long. Not a damn chance, so I use my card to the public library and find that Drowning Man is issued.

So I issue The Mystery of The Missing Ruby and read it in one night. I started at 11 and ended at 3. If my school teacher is reading this then now you know why I was not active in class, 4-5 years ago.

Next week, I finally find the Drowning Man and read it over another night. My teacher was not happy about it. It was since then that I have read every adventure of the Adventure Island series. It was my gateway drug into non-Christie books.

I don’t think anyone has told you this before but you were one of the authors, along with Rick Riordan and JK Rowling who truly shaped me as a person and a writer. With my first book mailed to agents and publishers, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you.

Thank you Helen Moss.

Yours Gratefully,

Arjun