A couple of weeks ago I got a cold email from Phil Ruggiero. Phil said he had never written to an author before but he had just finished reading Version 1.0 and Power Play, loved them, and saw bestselling author Dave Eggers mentioned in Power Play (bonus points if you can find the reference!).

Dave worked with Phil’s son Ryan for years at 826 Valencia, the fantastic non-profit writing center (that Dave founded). He even wrote Ryan’s letters of reference for graduate school, where he’s now concentrating on social inequalities in education.

Dave worked with Phil’s son Ryan for years at 826 Valencia, the fantastic non-profit writing center (that Dave founded). He even wrote Ryan’s letters of reference for graduate school, where he’s now concentrating on social inequalities in education.
It’s these kinds of connections that bring true joy to my heart (and that of any other artist/maker/writer/etc.). It’s incredible that something as simple as a story can reach through space and time to link people leading entirely separate lives.
Phil ended up writing about The Uncommon Series in his first ever book review on his personal blog. I was delighted, honored, and humbled by his thoughts.
Art makes the world smaller.