“Writing a book has been a dream of mine for years,” Sam told me. “But I don’t know what to write about.”

“You said it has been a dream. How about starting there—with a dream that was particularly memorable? It may have been just a short snippet, but use your imagination and take it from there,” I told him.

That’s what I did, in fact.

A recurring dream was the springboard for my first book, Runaways: The Long Journey Home.

In the dream, a boy leaves a remote cabin in the middle of the night. No coat. No shoes.

He shivers in the cold. I see his breath in the air as he looks back toward the cabin. I pray he has the strength to keep going.

I had this dream countless times. When I retired from my job as school counselor and did what I just encouraged Sam to do.

I followed my dream (of being a writer) and wrote a novel based on my dream about Jake.

Being my first book, it is not perfect. But you will feel my passion and the emotional connection I had with my characters. 

That’s why it is still my bestseller to date.

Where did he get that coat on the cover, you ask? You’ll have to read it to find out!