I have only ever met one of my favorite authors in person, Judy Blume – once as a child and thankfully, many years later as an adult. As a 10-year old quarantined in the infirmary my first time away at summer camp, the beloved author had a daughter at the camp and heard she had a young fan who was sick. She came to see me, talked to me and wrote in my favorite book at the time, Are you there God, It’s Me Margaret. I know I was just one of thousands, if not millions of young girls, who thought Judy Blume was speaking to her, knew her, “got” her. Years later, I followed her into the ladies’ room (wasn’t as creepy as it sounds) at a premiere for one of her books that had been turned into a novel. I introduced myself and pulled out the very same copy of the dog-eared purple paperback that I had kept for over 38 years. And to the initial personal note “For Rachel – Have fun at camp and feel better soon! Lots of love, Judy Blume,” written in 1975, she added “Rachel, how great to meet up with you 38 years later!” Love again, Judy Blume.”

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