Even as far back in our infancy as The Dullard’s Bane, we were always curious about who the fans of John Bellairs and Brad Strickland were, or how John and his characters were being remembered. We’d take off into the trenches - finding web pages and reviews where John’s name was mentioned - and more often than not come back with something to show for. If we felt what we found merited an announcement, or at best some sort of public acknowledgement, we’d drop a note through our mailing list about the up-and-coming author or illustrator, musician, book collector, teacher, historian, film maker, web designer...whoever, whatever...the list goes on. As technology changed so did our ways of communicating – a website, a blog, a forum or two, twitter, and so on.

The John Bellairs Walk is a walking tour of author John Bellairs's hometown, Marshall, Michigan, focusing on the area landmarks used as inspiration for places in his young-adult novels. The tour was the brainchild of Ann LaPietra, proprietor of the kids' place bookstore in Marshall from 1986 to 2006, who invented the tour to be similar to the city's annual Historic Home Tour. With guidance from both Marshall historian Richard Carver and correspondence from Bellairs himself, LaPietra's carefully researched list struck a chord with local residents who volunteered to portray the popular characters at significant points throughout the tour. In 1990 the tour won the Lucile Micheels Pannell Award, given by the Women's National Book Association to honor a creative program bringing children and books together. After LaPietra's death in 2007 the "organized" walk was all but disbanded, though the locations still exist. As such, the Walk is still alive online in her honor.

The John Bellairs Mural is an outdoor mural in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, celebrating Bellairs and his association with Haverhill. The mural, created by Massachusetts artist Sheila Foley, measures 7-feet by 3-feet and is painted in acrylic on to one of the old brick factory buildings. It was unveiled in September 2008.

The John Bellairs Forum is an online community for fans.  Registration is free and open to all. Inside, members can contribute to groups such as The Books, the Covers, and the Collectors, to discuss the finer art of collecting the various editions of John's books; The Armchair Scholar; and Wanderlust. Members can also share events, photos, and videos, and the forum offers integration with Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  (Powered by Ning)

The Bellairsia blog (RSS feed) is updated periodically about John Bellairs and his enduring legacy. Features include:

• Commentaries: our own observations on the various facets of fandom:
  • fan art, fan ficiton
• Interviews: conversations and questions with fans.
• Reviews: which books are your favorites and why.
• Guest posts: this time it's your turn.
• Itineraries: Bellairs-inspired travel reports.
• Survey: vote on your favorite people, places, and things.
• Archivist Broteus Mitchell's occasional dipping into the Bellairsia question box.

Other Social Media

You can find Bellairsia on a few social media platforms. Follow us, join us, or whatever other verb it is companies are utilizing this week to coax participation.

• Twitter