Hi everyone –

 

It’s been a whirlwind past few of weeks getting all my rounds of edits finished for Night Demon, but now that the copyedits are in I can take a moment to breathe before I dive back into writing Night Child. Shew!

 

Every once in a while something happens that reminds me to slow down and enjoy this journey. I get so focused on “chasing the dream” of being a full-time writer (Okay for those who know me I’ll confess to a little hunger for World Domination! Muahaha! *ahem*) I work like crazy and forget to take a minute and appreciate the path I’m on. Every single reader who takes the time to read and review my books humbles me and I want to hug all of you. I couldn’t do any of this without you!

 

Readers have definitely been the high point of this journey so far.

 

And recently I got a note from a very special reader that I wanted to share with you.

 

I attended a tiny elementary school out in the sticks of San Diego. We had 104 kids total from Kindergarten through 6th grade. My graduating 6th grade class had 12 kids including me. But at that tiny school, I met a teacher who changed my life.

 

I was 9 years old, excited about the fourth grade, and Mrs. Evans was my new teacher that year. I should preface this with the fact that I’m an only child and I lived in the sticks. There was no cul-de-sac of friends to play with. So school was my favorite place!

 

Until 4th grade I had always been a teacher’s pet, straight “A” student, and I loved homework. Crazy, right? Anyway, I fell in love with Mrs. Evans. She became my favorite teacher.

 

And she gave me my first “C” on a progress report. I had never gotten anything less than an “A” and I was crushed. I thought she didn’t like me. And when I told her that, she taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life. She told me that I was a sweet person and she loved having me in class, but I had to WORK to get an “A”. *boggle* Being nice wasn’t enough. I had to EARN an “A” grade from her.

 

I’m proud to say I did work and ended up earning many A’s from Mrs. Evans. I cried the day she left our tiny school for another school district, but she gave me her address and we stayed in touch. We still swap Christmas cards every year.

 

And in last month, Mrs. Evans read Night Walker, my first novel. She emailed me with a note that made me cry.

 

Lisa, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.  I am amazed by the work you do.  You have become the “accomplished woman” that Jane Austen wrote about.

 

To say her note made my day would be an understatement. And then this week I got one more.

 

I was the leader of my daughter’s Girl Scout troop for 9 years. We had such a great group of girls who are all young women now. I’m super proud of every one of them! Anyway, this week, one of “my” girls posted a picture of the Night Walker cover on facebook with this post…

 

She may be a big shot author now but she will always be my Girl Scout leader!

 

Definitely made my day and reminded me again to take a second and to breathe and to absorb how awesome life can be. I tend to run at a hundred miles an hour, scheduling every second of my day and trying to meet goals and cross items off my to-do list… But every once in a while, life sends you some signs to slow down and enjoy the journey.

 

Thanks to every single one of you for being part of this adventure!!! And if you’re a crazy busy person like me, I hope this post will inspire to take a minute to settle back and notice the blessings around you.

 

This journey is the gift.

 

Lisa

10 Comments

  1. Viki S. March 2, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    Thank you for sharing this with us. I can just imagine how thrilled you are by this note.

    1. Lisa Kessler March 3, 2013 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks for commenting Viki!!! 🙂 I have a mean internal editor and whenever i post something personal she’s in my head whispering, “This is dumb. No one will care about this.” LOL

      So glad you proved her wrong! 😀

      Lisa 🙂

  2. Nicole Angel March 2, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    Thank you for sharing it touched my heart as I know the letter from your teacher touched yours. Having a dream and being able to see it coming to fruition makes the journey so much sweeter! I am in my 50’s and loved Night Walker and cannot wait for the next book to come out! And, can’t wait to see you do a reading here in San Diego! The ability and desire to follow your dreams is a gift we want to give to all our children!

    1. Lisa Kessler March 3, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Hi Nicole –

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!!! 🙂

      I’m super excited that you loved Night Walker!!! I’ll be reading from Night Demon at Lady Jane’s Salon on March 27th… http://ladyjanessalonsd.com/home/news-and-gossip/

      Hope to see you there!!! And I can’t wait for you to read Night Demon!

      Lisa 🙂

  3. Teresa Morris-lloyd March 2, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    Lisa you deserved every good word that was said about you and more. You know I read a lot of books from many different writers, but very few are the kind of person that you are. To me you are not just an author of a great book, but a friend that is always there when any of your readers write you. I know I tend to write quite a bit at times and sometimes forget how very busy you and other authors are. However it is hard to put so much into so few of words to let you know how much you mean to your readers. To me we are a team that works together, we are the writer and the reader.
    Happy reading and writing*
    *HUGS*
    Teresa

  4. Michelle Stockard Miller March 2, 2013 at 11:15 pm

    Wonderful stories, Lisa! I know it had to mean so much to you. *hugs and a high five*

    I hope the teacher who inspired me in high school is still around when I finally catch my dream. 🙂

  5. Daniel de Culla March 3, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Brilliant¡ I enjoy You and yrs so much.
    Blessed Be¡

  6. Janice Hougland March 3, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    I, too, loved school and my favorite teachers were history teachers and English teachers. And I was an avid reader from Junior High on through college. When in grade school I entered summer reading contests at the local library and usually won (number of books + report content). It was my way of taking a vacation when there were no vacations (we worked hard on the farm during the summers). I read every spare minute I could. And I gravitated to romances while in High School…and have been a fan ever since…especially historical romances, western romances and paranormals. Glad I found out more about you today!

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