Without readers, there are no writers. Ernest Hemingway once said, “The job of a writer is to understand, not judge.”  This is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with & have put into practice.   Judgment is reserved solely for the discretion of the reader. The greatest compliment I, or any writer, can receive is when a reader shares a personal message saying how much a certain phrase or story has impacted them.

Whether they leave a review, send me an email, or tell me in person. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of my readers at events or book signings. I love meeting them all. I am especially moved when parents tell me they felt they were experiencing the book right along with me, feeling as if they were right there participating in the events personally. Or when they tell me how much their kids learned. 

One of the greatest compliments was when I met a reader named Jeanette at a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Naples, Florida. Jeanette told me she was purchasing “A Flicker in the Water” (Inside the Tales) for her wedding anniversary. I thought to myself, WOW! I can understand a Birthday or a Father’s Day, but a wedding anniversary is really something special. 

I have also been in school talking with kids, sometimes kids with special needs, about the sea & the fish in the sea. There is no greater joy than seeing the joy as well as the sense of wonder your work can bring to a child’s face. Some of my readers have been celebrities & it is nice to get their acknowledgment as well. Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale was the first celebrity to send me a personal message & for that, I will always be thankful. I met baseball soon-to-be Hall of Famer Albert Pujols at a signing, who introduced me to his father-in-law & took two of my books. I look forward to future meetings with kids, celebrities, & non-celebrities alike.  They all have one thing in common. The love of the Sea.