News flash: Not all blurbs involve log-rolling and ingratiating

Not that Ann Beattie needs any support from me, but ... I've been posting for several days now on her terrific collection "The New Yorker Stories," and I want to offer full disclosure to anyone who might be reading these: I do owe Ann Beattie a debt of gratitude, in that she gave me a wonderful blurb for my novel, Exiles. All of us know that most blurbs involve some form of logrolling or ingratiating - I know for a fact that a number of prominent writers give blurbs only to their current or former students, which seems to me a weird criteria - take my course and get a blurb ! - but there you have it. Reading blurbs can become a literary parlor game to determine who studied with whom or who knows whom from around town, writers group, agent in common, etc. Beattie and I share no such connection, and she offered a blurb purely in support of a fellow writer. We met about 25 years ago, when I was books editor for the Providence Journal - I interviewed her for a profile/review, and about a year later chatted with her at a dinner - honestly I doubt she remembered me at all. When Exiles was near publication, the publisher asked me to try to get some quotes - I was a longtime admirer of Beattie's work and thought she would like Exiles, in that it shares some qualities (I think) with her work. I tracked down her email, wrote, reminded her of our meeting, asked if she would be willing to read Exiles - she wrote back saying something like, wow, that was a long time ago - but OK send the book. I did, and to my surprise she actually read it and liked it and offered me the quote. I was, and am, very thankful and grateful - it speaks really well to her character and her generosity that she was willing to help out a fellow writer (me) whom she knew very slightly if at all.