A Recent Correspondance

Dear Mr. Snicket,

My name is Daniel. I am your number one fan. I'm on book number eleven and I just love your books. Will you ever be coming to Arkansas for a book tour? I really hope so. Maybe I can get my books signed. I have all of them except eleven and twelve. My favorite character would have to be Sunny. Just the way she talks makes me laugh. My sister told me your real name is Daniel Handler. That's awesome! We have the same name. Are the Baudelaires real? Why do you act so mysterious? Please answer.

From your number one fan:

Daniel Burley

Dear Writer,

Thank you for your message. When you wrote it, you probably thought you might receive a reply from Lemony Snicket. You were almost wrong.

I’m sorry to tell you that a letter from Mr. Snicket could put you in terrible danger. For instance, Mr. Snicket wrote a number of letters to a woman named Beatrice, the most alarming of which are contained within the book The Beatrice Letters, and she subsequently died a sad, horrible, awful death that still plagues me to this day. This is an extreme case, of course, but you can see why you would never want to receive a letter signed by Mr. Snicket.

There is at least one thing more dangerous than a letter by Mr. Snicket, however, and that is a book by him. Each of the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events have been more dreadful than the last. The End, the thirteenth and final book in the series, is the most upsetting of all.

Sadly, your message to Lemony Snicket suggests that you may have already read one or several of his books. While I’m sure he is somewhat grateful for your interest in the Baudelaire case, hopefully it is not too late for you to stop before The End. Wouldn’t you prefer to read something else?

With all due respect,

Anonymous Representative
HarperCollins Publishers
Department of Vital Fan Disclosure