Shhhh!
Don't tell anyone.
My students have been
free-writing
for two weeks
on Storybird.com
just for the joy of it.
Perhaps, I should correct
their spelling
and give them tips
on structure...
but they write,
then carry their 
Chromebooks
to the next table
to share.
The room is filled
with laughter.
Asher's story made
me laugh so hard,
tears were streaming
down my face.
I hope
they write
all
summer.

Some people might think
writing is the hardest part
about being a published author.
Others might dread
the research.
I would love to be able
to do those things
continuously.
What is hardest
is the waiting,
not knowing if anything
is happening or not.
When people look at my website,
are they interested in me
as an author
or are they just looking for
brass beds?
Author,Tommy Greenwald agrees.
He said during a recent Skype
at our Book Battle competition
​that the process often
takes two years or more,
and that writers
shouldn't get discouraged.
Did he know he was speaking to me?

I guess
I should tell you about
Jack the Bear.
His real name isn't
Jack.
Don't laugh.
It is Clive Staples.
Jack the Bear is named after
one of my favorite authors.
You may have read some of his books.
The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe
is very famous.
I don't think Clive liked
his name either.
C.S. Lewis' friends
called him
Jack.

Here I am
at the close of one of the
best days of the year.
There is very little
that is better
than being
Mom
and
Nana.
And that's
the truth.

What makes you stop and wonder?
Really. I'm asking.
We misuse the words awesome and amazing so often,
nothing seems awesome and amazing anymore.

Lives that make us stop and wonder are the stories I want to tell,
which is why I would like the chance to tell you about
​Edgar J. Banks.
And others.
Lives that shouldn't be forgotten.
Lives that are truly awesome and amazing.