The
single best thing about being an author is getting up in the morning
and reading fan mail. People write to say what they liked about my
books. And occasionally they point out glitches and mistakes and
other things I've overlooked!
A
couple of days ago, I got a really fun email from a reader named Debbie. In
addition to complementing my books, she pointed out some
discrepancies about Owen McKenna's kitchen table in my various books. This
was interesting because I haven't thought much about Owen's culinary
environment. I guess I should pay better attention!
I've
put Debbie's letter below, followed by her notations of my table
descriptions.
My
return note to Debbie is below that.
Here
is Debbie's letter:
Firstly---let
me say I LOVE your 10 books! I just finished #9, since I
started w/#10....then went in chronological order---I now have my
sweetie reading them. Your Owen McKenna series is
as exciting as the Lee Child's Jack Reacher series.
Anyway...
I
am an avid reader, and noticed spelling
mistakes...but, the mistake that bothered me the most---was---does
Owen have a kitchen table or not? I didn't cut & paste all
the references---but, I do want to know!
Thank
you!
Debbie
Another
reference to "Owen" having a kitchen table:
as
I carried it to my little kitchen table
Borg,
Todd (2011-07-15). Tahoe Hijack (An Owen McKenna Mystery
Thriller) (Kindle Location 1780). Thriller Press. Kindle Edition.
and again!
Diamond sat with me at my little kitchen table.
Borg, Todd (2008-08-01). Tahoe Avalanche (An Owen McKenna Mystery Thriller) (Kindle Location 1268). Thriller Press. Kindle Edition.
add this: entrance to my kitchen nook. Her eyes were wild, ransacking my homemade butcher block table and Shaker chairs,
Borg, Todd (2007-08-01). Tahoe Silence (An Owen McKenna Mystery Thriller) (Kindle Locations 111-112). Thriller Press. Kindle Edition.
Dear
Debbie,
Thanks
so much for writing. I'm glad you are enjoying the adventures of Owen
and Spot!
I
believe you've set a new bar for astute kitchen-table observation!
I'm impressed! Of all the letters I get about writing details, you
are the first to notice my discrepancies regarding McKenna's kitchen
table.
To
bring you up to date:
McKenna
used to have a crude, home-made butcher block table.
But one day,
Spot, in his excitement about going for a walk, spun around, hit the
table, and broke off one of the table legs. The table top fell
to the floor and cracked in half. McKenna used his splitting maul to
turn the butcher block table into firewood for his wood stove, and the heavy pieces
heated his cabin for two weeks.
McKenna ate standing at
the kitchen sink for a few days and then found a cracked vinyl table
top for free at a garage sale (no one was willing to pay the
$4 price), and with some hinges from Scotty's Hardware in South
Lake Tahoe, he attached it to the wall of his kitchen nook.
The
laminated table is homely, but the hinges work great. When it's
folded out of the way, Spot can now push his food bowl around the
area without bumping so many obstructions.
As
for the spelling mistakes you've noticed, I claim no excuse. Were I
to attempt an explanation, I'd venture to say that most are of the
homophone kind: altar/alter, rein/reign, peek/peak etc. I clearly
have a neural dysfunction that permits me few graces in the spelling
department.
Fortunately,
many readers point out the spelling errors to me, and they gradually
get corrected in reprints.
Thanks
again for your thoughtful culinary comments, although I must now
confess to a bit of trepidation about my new book, which is due out
in August. Does Owen eat at the counter? The table? Is it still made
of vinyl? We'll know in a few months!
Sincerely
and earnestly (Really!),
Todd
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