Hello!

I just want to take this chance to thank all the readers who have been so kind to me, especially about The Book Thief - a book that means everything to me. Thank you for your encouragement, your positive comments, and also your criticisms. I'll always be grateful. You have given me the impetus to keep trying for the simple goal of always writing a better book the next time around.

Speaking of the next time around, I’d also like to tell you a bit about what I'm working on at the moment. For three years now, whenever people have asked the terrifying question – “So what’s your new book about?” – I’ve stuttered my way through a whole range of incoherent responses. I’ve talked about a murderer. I’ve talked about a mule and five brothers, and a girl on a roof.

Of course, everything I just mentioned plays its part in the new book, but not one of them is the heart of it. I guess sometimes it's easier to tell people what surrounds a story, rather than the story itself.

When all is said and done, I think I finally see that the book I'm writing is actually simple:

It's about a boy.
His name is Clay.
He's building a bridge.
And he wants that bridge to be something truly great and miraculous.

Now I just have to finish writing it, and I'll do everything I can to make it right.

Thanks again, and best always,