Jobs They Love: Love Letter Writer

Lucky are they who look forward to Mondays with joy in their hearts! Meet the folks whose talents and passions are happily matched to the jobs they have.

ALESSANDRA ZAPPA

When romance is in the air and Cupid’s arrow strings two hearts together, all else in the world seems to disappear except for the passion that bewitches the smitten lovers. Momentous declarations of affection and yearning for each other beg to be shared. Not with a text. Not in the cold 10 pt. font of an email, but intimately memorialized in an actual handwritten love letter.

The tradition of writing love letters, as we know them, goes back to the Renaissance of the early 14th century when affections were penned in stilted, courtly poetics – “I recommend me unto you with all the inwardness of my heart.”

By the 1800s, the form had become more sensual. Napoleon writes of his heart’s desires to Josephine, “Kisses on your mouth, your eyes, your breast, everywhere, everywhere.” In a crush note to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1930, Zelda confesses, “Darling – I love these velvet nights. …”

A beautifully composed letter from one sweetheart to another is a love offering like no other. Penned in ink on fine paper, securely enclosed in a stamped envelope, and transported in real time -- perhaps over great distances by boat or airplane -- and hand delivered to one’s doorstep, is a token of devotion to be cherished forever.

If you’re ready to immortalize your adoration in such an ardent way, you may wish to call upon the services of Alessandra Zappa for guidance. She is, after all, a professional love letter scribe who will copy your sentiments on colorful stationery in her own charming cursive handwriting and mail it to your paramour from Paris, the City of Love, for a nominal fee.

But if you are too lovestruck for words, Alessandra will compose an original love letter for you, using a few details you provide, and handwrite it in English, French, or Italian. Additional services available when ordering (“Add a Little Extra”) include a wax-sealed envelope, a pressed rose, spritz of perfume, and a marriage proposal letter accompanied with a souvenir engagement ring.

Alessandra is also an interior designer with a degree in architecture and industrial design from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Calligraphy and graphic design are her special interests. Having been born in Sweden, raised in Italy, and now living in Paris, romance is in her blood. She may be contacted through her Send Love from Paris website or Fiverr page.

Q&A

How did you get into the love letter business?

Do you believe me if I tell you that nothing was planned? It just happened, naturally and pretty fast. “Send Love from Paris,” the love letter business, is a lucky combination of my talents and my passions. Nice calligraphy, emotions and relationships, psychology, beauty, entrepreneurship, visual arts and Paris, of course.

I used to send letters when I was a girl and kept sending them to my significant others whenever emotions were too intense to be spoken. I carefully keep all the letters that I have received in my life in a tiny box. Letters are memories that don't fade away.

So, long story short, when I moved to Paris, I had to purchase my first sets of Claire Fontaine (French) stationery, as my own personal monogrammed blue lavender stationery set was lost somewhere, packed inside some moving boxes. A wonderful and new universe of colorful papers made in Paris, wax seal stamps, inks and pens unfolded under my eyes. Pure beauty. The first pillar of Send Love was set.

Then, a few months later, some friends each asked me to help them craft a love letter for their crush. The results were amazing (some got back together, or overcame a fight, some just sent a plain declaration of love and started a relationship...). Seeing the results, I had to offer such a magic tool to other people. I had to. I really had to. Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, “Send Love from Paris” was born!

Did your teacher ever catch you passing love notes in school?

Oh no dear, I was way too smart to be caught. And way too shy to pass them in class during lesson time! My strategy was to sneakily slip the notes inside my crush's backpack at the end of the lesson time, when heading home....

Professional letter writers provide an honorable service. In the past, they have transcribed the thoughts of people who couldn’t read or write, to send in letters home to friends, family -- and lovers. These days, very few people even have legible cursive handwriting. What does it feel like to carry on the tradition of this very personal assistance?

I frankly never thought about this estimable tradition! Thank you for reminding me that being able to read or to write is an honor, a precious gift. As per the present days, I think of myself more as a “translator,” from emotions to words. A big honor that carries big responsibilities!

Do you ever hear back from your clients? Any good love stories you can share?

Oh yes! Although I haven't heard back from many (life goes on too fast), those who had the generosity to share with me the result of our collaboration, mentioned that they: got back together; have been forgiven; got married! I've even been invited to a wedding in the U.S., as that letter sent from Paris ended up being the key factor of the couple's reunion and marriage. How amazing is this?

Are your clients mostly men or women, or equally split? I would say that men represent 90% of my clients. Women are born with a natural (biological?) gift for relationships. They are encouraged to manifest, to ponder about feelings and behaviors, to write and talk about emotions. Men are usually not prone to express their deepest emotions and feelings. They just don't know where to start. They love deeply and are often misunderstood by women, who expect consistency of words, whereas there's just deep emotions and no vocabulary. My role is to understand, to feel, to translate, to let flow, to let unfold their feelings in a language that women can understand. And then make it an amazing piece of heart. Lavender blue, hortensia pink, lilac, cloud blue stationary. Golden, copper, pearl, pink and of course intense red wax. So beautiful.

Do you have a favorite writing pen?

I don't have any brand in mind, provided that it's a 1.0 mm pen. I need the ink to flow, the pen to run smoothly, to allow the curves of my calligraphy to take shape -- 1.0 mm pens allow me that freedom.

Have you ever been asked to write a “Dear John/Jane” letter?

No, I haven't, so far. I've been lucky. Most of my clients, besides the happiest love declarations and marriage proposals, really wish to rekindle or to heal their relationships. They wish to express a deep intention, the intention to share love with another human being.

Have you ever received a letter request that you couldn’t fulfill?

Oh yes. I proudly refuse to write any letter that is not based on love and acceptance, healthy emotions and the deep desire to enhance or heal a relationship. Hatred letters, revenge messages or anonymous dark letters are banned from my desk. So, it's more a “wouldn't fulfill” than “couldn't fulfill.”

Buy hey, let me think about it. I once had a request for a love poem. And at that time, I had to fulfill too many orders to be able to dive into poetry. I’ve since found a business partner who's fond of poems and poetry, so poems are a brand-new addition to our services. Starting from today, you can Send Love Poems from Paris!