Author Janet's Story

I think my newspaper saga is over. Life returned to normal this morning. Venting was fun for a couple of days, but I can't build a blog audience on whining and complaining, because I don't have that much to complain about. Unless, of course, I want to start in on politics, the economy, or my aches and pains. I'm not sure I want to go there.

So I'm returning to the subject of Colorado authors, because I want to tell you about an incredible lady I met at a Northern Colorado Writers event earlier this week. At this point, I'm not going to reveal the author's name. I will feature her on my blog a little later in the season, when her new book is available for pre-order. Today we'll call her Author Janet.

Author Janet was a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999. In the months and years that followed, she dealt with ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder, first through less-than-effective therapy, and then through her writing. She chose historical romance as her genre, and her books were printed as mass market paperbacks in English and several other languages. Her name has not yet become a household word.

But Author Janet had a bigger dream. She already knew how to turn her students on to classical literature. Now she wanted to write a historical novel in the tradition of the original author, and carry a classic story through to a previously untold conclusion. Publishers have competed for the right to publish Author Janet's new book, in hardcover, and the book is scheduled for a 2010 release. The idea is excellent. I predict her novel will hit the New York Times Best Seller List.

There are a lot of lessons in Author Janet's story. Whether as a human being, or as a writer, I recognize our need to be strong, to commit to what we want and need, and to keep hope alive. This is one Colorado author who can teach us the way.