P. C. Cast’s Letter to Librarians

In BY BREATH, P. C. Cast writes an adventurous YA romance set at a Scottish loch, complete with fae princes, a witchy friend, and a powerful kelpie bound to ancient magic. In her letter to librarians, she shares how libraries gave her and her daughter a sanctuary to escape in and led them both towards becoming authors themselves.

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Dearest Librarians,

You have long been my superheroes! Even as a very young girl I read voraciously. My family didn’t have the money to keep me in books but the library was free and I consistently checked out my limit (sometimes my librarian, Mrs. Williams, let me stretch that limit!). Access to free books at my library helped to shape me into the author I’ve become. You will forever have my gratitude for that and for the “vacations” you provided for a very young Kristin Cast and me. Let me explain…

I was a single parent who put myself through college ten years (and two tours in the USAF) after high school with a two year old by my side. During those four grueling years of school we lived in poverty but my young daughter didn’t realize how poor we were, mostly thanks to our local library (shout out to the Kankakee Illinois library system!). Every week my daughter and I would stop by the Fannie Mae candy store and pick out two candies each and then we’d head to our library for our “vacation.” During the hot months the library was a cool, serene oasis. During blustery Illinois winters it was a toasty warm place of comfort. We’d take our little candies and choose our “vacation” destination through books! We visited Narnia and NW Ontario (HOMEWARD BOUND), The Hundred Acre Woods (Winnie-the-Pooh), The Monroe Household (Bunnicula), and Philadelphia (Berenstain Bears), as well as many more states, countries and worlds.

After graduating from college I returned home to Oklahoma to teach public school, which means I still lived hovering at the poverty line. But Kristin and I kept up our library vacations through the Broken Arrow and Tulsa library systems. Imagine the cool relief of entering our neighborhood library during the triple digit weather of Oklahoma summers and curling up with WHITE FANG (set in snowy Canada). Vacation indeed!

I have always attributed a good portion of my success as an author—as well as my daughter’s success, now a bestselling author too—to having access to free books at our libraries.

But even more than just free access to books libraries have always been my sanctuary. Even as I was researching my very first published novel, DIVINE BY MISTAKE, I counted on my local public library, as well as the media center at South Intermediate High School where I taught, for help and support. The librarians were enthusiastic and kind, patient and knowledgeable as I researched Celtic shamanism and the ancient Fomorians.

Often I think of my books as love letters to librarians because without you I’m not sure I would have had the support and encouragement to live my dream of being an author.

With love and respect and eternal appreciation,

P. C. Cast
Author of BY BREATH