In May 2007, the LiveJournal Animorphs community sent a combined letter of thanks to both K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant for creating and writing such a long run for Animorphs. In an unexpected response, the co-authors thanked the fans, and answered a few questions too!
LiveJournal fans sending their thank you letter:
http://community.livejournal.com/animorphs/333761.html
The thank you letter:
http://www.geocities.com/musemuffin007/thankyouka.htm
K.A. and Michael's response to the fans:
http://community.livejournal.com/animorphs/333855.html
RESPONSE FROM K.A. APPLEGATE AND MICHAEL GRANT
To Everyone:
Wow. You made us cry. Even Michael and that's not easy.
This was incredibly moving for both of us. Humbling as well.
It is very weird to think of the fans being adults now. Fans with jobs, fans in college, Elizabeth in Iraq. (I knew Michael was getting older but I didn't
think I was. Damn.)
We had always hoped Animorphs would have an effect beyond the "aaargh" and the "tseeew!" We tried not to think about those possibilities, of course, because
we both have a mortal fear of taking ourselves too seriously. Marco's theory
that you have to decide whether you're going to see life as tragedy or comedy is our philosophy as well, and we've always figured our first obligation -- before we started laughing at anyone else -- was to laugh at ourselves. So we'd know we were sneaking "big issues" into the books but we never wanted to really think too much about it. After all, we're just fiction writers not philosophers and if we ever started thinking we were having an effect that would carry over into adult lives we'd be paralyzed by the responsibility.
We'd love to do book #55. Or #55 through #60, even. But that's not our
decision to make. The publisher would have to make that call.
In the meantime we are both back at work. "Home of the Brave" and "The Buffalo Storm" both by "Katherine Applegate" are coming out this fall, starting I think in late August. Some of you guys might enjoy Home, but Buffalo is a picture book. I have a little kid series, "Roscoe Riley Rules" coming out next spring about the same time as Michael's "The FAYZ." Michael's going to be using the pseudonym "Michael Grant." As many of you know he's sensitive about blurring lines, especially on-line, where 11 and 12 year olds probably shouldn't be reading his more adult stuff, hence the pseudonym.
Again, we can't tell you how meaningful this was for us. We were really moved.
Thanks.
Katherine and Michael