About the Author

Dear Biographers,

I was born in Philadelphia, PA (University City to be specific) on a lovely day in late September 1979. I grew up in and around Philly and South Jersey. My first serious penpalmanship began when I was in 3rd grade, and it was with my cousin Kate who was in 2nd grade. We wrote about the differences in our school systems (hers Catholic and mine public) and we argued over which of our younger siblings was more irritating. Kate won, hands down (sorry Dave!)

Just before I entered 10th grade, in August 1994, I received a letter from a boy I had spent a week with at summer camp [read letter]. That sealed the deal—I was a self-proclaimed letter lover. I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving others the wonderful gift he had given me—the immediate gift being that he let me know he was thinking of me and long term gift being that this letter has never once failed (in 13 years!) to make me smile. After summer camp and high school I went to college at Duquesne (pronounced DooKane) University in Pittsburgh, PA. I wrote for the school paper and was president of my sorority—please don’t hold either of those against me.

Eventually it came time to leave the great state of Pennsylvania and so I headed up, up and away to New York, NY where I worked in publishing. I interned at O: The Oprah Magazine and got fired (that story is in the book) then went on to be a lackey at Harper’s Bazaar. I got my first full-time job testing out my writing skills (and my green thumb) at Country Living Gardener magazine. All the while, my reputation as an arguably good letter writer continued to grow amongst the people who sent me gifts and received thank you notes. In early 2004 my roommate asked me to help her write a letter to a man (boy, big baby really) she was dating—and thus, the idea that I could do this for other friends as well as strangers on the street was born. After much procrastination, I launched the site you see before you and (after a witty feature on dailycandy.com) a book deal followed suit.

I have since come full circle and returned to the Philadelphia area, and now spend my days blissfully between letters and cheesesteaks. As for cousin Kate, surely it is no coincidence that she and I hit major milestones in our lives in the exact same month. Our prepubescent, written correspondence ended up being the early encouragement we both needed to accomplish our then unnamed goals. In May 2007 my first book was published and she was officially crowned Kathryn Taylor Stroup, MD. Well-done good and faithful pen pal!