Heroes

Not the TV show. I'm talking about real life heroes that touch your soul and inspire you. Yesterday I came into contact with one of my heroes, and on MySpace, no less!

Francis Ray: bestselling, prolific and extremely talented author. She sent me a friend request! ME! Well, when I finally managed to pick up my tongue from the floor, I told her I would be honored. *wide grin*

Here's a little background concerning my high esteem for Francis Ray:

Chicago, Summer 1994. I had just turned 14 and my mother gave me the official go-ahead to read romance novels. We were in the city for a special mother/daughter vacation, just the two of us spending quality time, and we had a blast! We stayed in a suite at the Westin Hotel with a view of the John Hancock building, we took long walks and talked about many things, visited museums and shopped until we dropped.

It was during one of these outings that I first saw a book from Francis Ray. Mom and I were walking around Water Tower Plaza on our last day in Chicago, and we went into a bookstore to browse. "Forever Yours" had just been released, and the cover art was so amazing that I knew I would be getting it to read on the train home. Oh my goodness, I wasn't disappointed. The train ride was 6 hours long to go home, and I finished the book before the trip was over. I was riveted, and when I closed the book I felt a change come upon me.

I had already been writing stories as a hobby for some years, but they had always fallen flat because they were missing a key ingredient that I couldn't identify. After I read "Forever Yours," I realized what that was: Love.

Because of Francis Ray, I decided that I wanted to write about love. That's why she's one of my heroes.