"When Letters Still Mattered" is an autobiographical compilation of letters, greeting cards and a book inscription addressed to California artist Marques Vickers. The 137-page collection begins with the public announcement of his birth to a 2012 book inscription written by famed artist muse Helga Testorf. The author's intimate portrayal of thirty influential individuals in his life provides a glimpse of his formation, development and evolutionary process. Vickers credits these writings, mostly brief, with shaping his perceptions about intimacy, family, relationships, business, art and writing. This mirror of one's past and the resulting conclusions become a reference guideline illustrating his present behavioral patterns and decision-making priorities. The texts provide tangible and enduring time capsules of thought and expression by individuals who mattered to the author.