Tom Swift Writer’s Notebook

An old family friend asked another family member: Is that Tom on the cover?

Funny. But she was serious. In her defense, she’s a little older and hasn’t seen me in person since I used to slap tennis balls into her lawn during street hockey games.

Then it happened again. During the most recent string of appearances another person, standing before me without signs of visual impairment, asked. At another stop a few more said, Hey, that looks like you.

It’s flattering that anyone may think I look like Charles Bender, a good-looking guy who, unlike me, didn’t have shaving issues and who clearly wore more stylish sweaters.

But, to clarify, famous people put their faces on the cover of books because they are, well, famous. A rookie author, especially one who is easily mistaken for an usher, does not.

This post was added on Thursday, May 29, 2008 by Tom Swift at 23:25 and is filed under FAQs.