Tonight I had the honor of meeting bestselling Michigan author, Jonathan Rand. I was introduced to Jonathan a few years ago (via email) from a mutual friend and author, Kurt David. Jonathan has written sooooooo many books. So many that I went on Amazon to try and figure out how many and I couldn’t! He writes two very popular series, American Chillers and Michigan Chillers. They are children’s chapter books. It 
was really great to shake his hand and thank him in person this evening. The fact that I waited in a loooooonnnnnggg line of fans with my two girls pulling books off shelves, rolling around on the floor and destroying holiday displays didn’t matter. It’s funny because Kurt and I went back and forth via email for a long time before we ever met in person as well. I was at Costco with my daughter (plus 8 months pregnant) and I saw this really tall man. I mean really tall (over 6 foot is really tall for someone who is 4’11 3/4) and I approached him thinking he looked familiar. It was Kurt and he was with his two girls. Kurt continues to inspire me and encourage me to value my worth and talent as a presenter and author.
A few years ago, Jonathan gave me some really great advice. I was in a place where I needed to make some major decisions for my career and he chimed in and his words stuck with me. When I wanted to become an author, there were people in my life that said things along the lines of “you won’t be able to make a living writing” and “you can’t do it on your own.” Those comments didn’t scare me and they didn’t hold me back.
Both Jonathan and Kurt encouraged me and I am so thankful for their support!
Later on in the evening while we were playing and reading in the children’s area, my three year old pulled my book, Spaghetti In A Hot Dog Bun off the shelf. It was a special and proud moment for us both 😉