Welcome to the Guestbook!
I’m always eager to read your comments about my books and stories, so please feel free to pitch in. Here are a few things for you to know:
1) I answer the messages here personally.
2) No message shows up here until I actually answer it to prevent spam and other inappropriate postings. So there will sometimes be a delay before your message posts, especially if I am traveling.
3) Teachers, a gentle request: Please do not have multiple children send me variants of the same message. A group email is much easier to respond to and not such a drain on my time. My thanks in advance for being alert to this.
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964 entries.
Dear Mr. Coville,
I realize it has been 5 years since I last posted on your guestbook. To be honest I forgot about the guest book in the swirl of high school and college classes that now surround me. But I remembered, as I was talking with a friend, of being that young 8th grader feeling ecstatic that their favorite author emailed them and that they read my work. Your books mean as much to me now as they did to me then. The escape from the world we know into a land of wonder and fantasy, into the land of Luster with the unicorns that call the place home. Windfoot, Finder, Belle, the Dimblethum, and Cara. They are characters that have lived with me through out the years, been there as fond memories and taught lessons of friendship and bravery. I just wanted to thank you for your amazing work and for responding to me all those years ago. ~ Thank you, Emma
I realize it has been 5 years since I last posted on your guestbook. To be honest I forgot about the guest book in the swirl of high school and college classes that now surround me. But I remembered, as I was talking with a friend, of being that young 8th grader feeling ecstatic that their favorite author emailed them and that they read my work. Your books mean as much to me now as they did to me then. The escape from the world we know into a land of wonder and fantasy, into the land of Luster with the unicorns that call the place home. Windfoot, Finder, Belle, the Dimblethum, and Cara. They are characters that have lived with me through out the years, been there as fond memories and taught lessons of friendship and bravery. I just wanted to thank you for your amazing work and for responding to me all those years ago. ~ Thank you, Emma
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Emma!
What a lovely surprise to hear from you. I do not blame you for peeling away for a while. That is part and parcel of the changes that come with moving through high school and into college. Your interests and passions change.
Given the above, the fact that you still remember your delight in Luster and its denizens gives me great joy. Thank you for holding them in your heart for all these years.
BC
What a lovely surprise to hear from you. I do not blame you for peeling away for a while. That is part and parcel of the changes that come with moving through high school and into college. Your interests and passions change.
Given the above, the fact that you still remember your delight in Luster and its denizens gives me great joy. Thank you for holding them in your heart for all these years.
BC
Bruce Coville my cousin Hailey was on your website!
Reply by Bruce Coville
I hope she enjoyed it!
Dear Bruce,
Thank you for your imagination. Weve been reaping the benefits of it every night for several weeks now. My seven-year-old had me read one Moongobble book after the next. (It wont be long before she can re-read them herself.) And we just finished Mad Brownie. She was left with one question about the latter (SUBTLE SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HASNT YET READ/FINISHED IT. AVERT THOSE PEEPERS!):
Does Ms. Kincaid become royalty due to her lineage and place of residence at the end of the book?
Thank you for your imagination. Weve been reaping the benefits of it every night for several weeks now. My seven-year-old had me read one Moongobble book after the next. (It wont be long before she can re-read them herself.) And we just finished Mad Brownie. She was left with one question about the latter (SUBTLE SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HASNT YET READ/FINISHED IT. AVERT THOSE PEEPERS!):
Does Ms. Kincaid become royalty due to her lineage and place of residence at the end of the book?
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Annabelle -
What a lovely message! Thank you. My wife and I had so much fun creating the Moongobble books, and it's really good to know when a young reader such as your daughter finds such delight in them.
SPOILER ALERT:
To be honest, I hadn't thought too deeply past the end of MAD BROWNIE, but yes, I do believe your daughter is correct in her speculation!
What a lovely message! Thank you. My wife and I had so much fun creating the Moongobble books, and it's really good to know when a young reader such as your daughter finds such delight in them.
SPOILER ALERT:
To be honest, I hadn't thought too deeply past the end of MAD BROWNIE, but yes, I do believe your daughter is correct in her speculation!
Dear Bruce, (A semi-private letter to you):
Thank you for writing quaility children's Literature, and not giving up. Have you thought of non-traditional ways to get "The Unicorn Chronicals" onto film, such as approach companies like Martin Hash's Animation Master -- which was doing the whole, full-length "Tin Woodsman of Oz" a while back? Or the special effects people at Blender, an open-source animation program, which are always on the search for projects like "Elephant's Dream"? Just a thought, since I don't know about all the rights and red-tape involved, but with so many fans waiting in hope, who knows? Thank you once again :^) -- Cat Darensbourg
Thank you for writing quaility children's Literature, and not giving up. Have you thought of non-traditional ways to get "The Unicorn Chronicals" onto film, such as approach companies like Martin Hash's Animation Master -- which was doing the whole, full-length "Tin Woodsman of Oz" a while back? Or the special effects people at Blender, an open-source animation program, which are always on the search for projects like "Elephant's Dream"? Just a thought, since I don't know about all the rights and red-tape involved, but with so many fans waiting in hope, who knows? Thank you once again :^) -- Cat Darensbourg
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Cat -
Thanks for this.
Your list of alternate approaches is interesting and exciting. However I think any of these would require a time commitment from me that I would rather invest in writing new books.
I diverted my creative energies toward audiobook production with my company Full Cast Audio for nearly fifteen years, and though I did not stop writing during that period, I did slow down considerably. Now I am feeling some serious urgency to get back to doing new books.
All best,
Bruce
Thanks for this.
Your list of alternate approaches is interesting and exciting. However I think any of these would require a time commitment from me that I would rather invest in writing new books.
I diverted my creative energies toward audiobook production with my company Full Cast Audio for nearly fifteen years, and though I did not stop writing during that period, I did slow down considerably. Now I am feeling some serious urgency to get back to doing new books.
All best,
Bruce
Hi Bruce. Are you enjoying the snow? Luckily, I didn't get as much as I had thought and it is pretty much melted now. Off topic sorry. Anyway, since you're done with The Unicorn Chronicles I was wondering if there are any plans for future unicorn stories? I know you did The Boy With Silver Eyes which I downloaded a while back but I mean an actual book, not a mini story (although I did enjoy the mini story too)
Thanks.
~Amanda
Thanks.
~Amanda
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Amanda - Well, we didn't get hit with the big blizzard. That was coastal. The weather in Syracuse mostly comes from the west. Our big snowstorms are "lake effect" storms - moisture picked up when the weather fronts cross the Great Lakes. We can really get walloped with those. Fortunately, we're much better equipped to deal with them than the coastal cities. Syracuse actually has the world's biggest snowplow!
No plans for future unicorn books at this point. Scholastic let books 3 and 4 go out of print, which broke my heart, and I can't see them being interested in any new ones. Too bad, because I love Luster and have lots of stories I would still like to tell in that world!
No plans for future unicorn books at this point. Scholastic let books 3 and 4 go out of print, which broke my heart, and I can't see them being interested in any new ones. Too bad, because I love Luster and have lots of stories I would still like to tell in that world!
Hi Mr. Coville I have a question for you today about your book "Jeremy Thatcher The Dragon Hatcher." If u had too Name your own Dragon, what would its name be?
Reply by Bruce Coville
One is wisest to offer many names, and let the dragon choose the one he or she prefers.
What inspired you to write this book about dragons.
Reply by Bruce Coville
I love dragons! Actually, this started out to be a short story, but I got carried away.
Were any of the characters based off of you? If so which character?
Reply by Bruce Coville
All of my characters have a little of me in them, but none of the characters are actually based on me. Jeremy's dad is probably the closest to who I am.
I reading Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. in reading we are in the middle of our fantasy unit. I have a few questions and if you have time maybe you could answer them.
1. How did you get the idea of Jeremy Thatcher dragon hatcher.
2.what got you into writing in the fantasy genre.
3.what gave you the idea of Mr. Elves magic shop.
thank you for taking you time for maybe answering these questions
Dana
1. How did you get the idea of Jeremy Thatcher dragon hatcher.
2.what got you into writing in the fantasy genre.
3.what gave you the idea of Mr. Elves magic shop.
thank you for taking you time for maybe answering these questions
Dana
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Dana -
Mr. Elives' shop is basically the magic shop I wanted to find when I was a kid. I never found it in real life, so instead I started to write about it.
I once brainstormed a list of things you could buy in the shop. A dragon's egg was one of them. So that was the beginning of the idea.
Mr. Elives' shop is basically the magic shop I wanted to find when I was a kid. I never found it in real life, so instead I started to write about it.
I once brainstormed a list of things you could buy in the shop. A dragon's egg was one of them. So that was the beginning of the idea.
I am reading your book Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher and I was thinking, how do you think up some of the characters in your books?
Reply by Bruce Coville
I pay close attention to the world and the people around me. I was a teacher for seven years (4th grade for four of them) and though none of the kids in this book are based on any of my students, I do use my memories of how kids act when I am writing. Also, I have a pretty good memory of my own childhood.