Write-On, Mom!

So I went to this book signing today. 

I already know the author.  Met him like, I don't know, maybe 8 years ago at a writer's conference.  His name is Cecil Murphey.  I just call him Cec. 

(probably everyone calls him 'cec.')

Had a newspaper assignment last year in which it was appropriate that I called on him for a quote. 

So, yeah....I've got his phone number. 

He's only a best-selling author with over a hundred plus books in print...one of them making it to the movie screen...another one or two on the way....

....and we know each other. 

Sort of.

(By "know each other" I mean that I know him, we met, I called him on the phone like every other person in the world who interviews him for things he is well known for and today he did not exactly remember me)

So, yeah, we are tight. 

He signed a book for me and that was fun....

But I got a couple other autographs too:

Sheri Zeck has a story in which she was a ghost-writer in "Chicken Soup for the Soul Find Your Happiness."  I wrote about this story last year in the Quad City Times.  She has an awesome story that is published in this month's issue of Guidepost Magazine.  I got to write about that for the newspaper too.  It should run this week sometime. 

She is a phenomenal writer.  And she told me I was the first to ask for her autograph.  Do you know what that means?

I. Own. The. Very. First. Autograph. By. Sheri Zeck!

Check out her website by clicking HERE


I also got to meet another writer who I have written about.

Shawnelle Eliasen has written many stories for Chicken Soup, Guidepost and other publications. She is super inspirational, a fabulous writer and she's as sweet in person as she is in writing. 

Plus she said she likes my hair. 

We are gonna be great friends I can just tell.

Click HERE to visit her blog. 

About this book signing thing.  I love to listen to other authors talk about how they got into writing and what inspires them. 

It gets me to thinking about what inspires me as a writer. 

There isn't ONE author or ONE story that I can point a finger to as far as where I get my inspiration.  The truth is, every story that I have had the privilege of writing has inspired me.  I see the world around me in terms of "stories."  And everyone has their own.  I love it that I get to meet people who want to share their passions and purposes with me and I get to share that with other readers.  It inspires me; makes me want to live out my own story better....


So I brought with me my own photographer:

She took photos at the book signing for me. 

And we spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating something extremely special:

....her.

I love this girl more than words can even do justice.

I try to tell her every single chance that I can how much I love her.

Apparently this is somewhat embarrassing.  

So we have a code.  Sort of a made-up sign language thing where when we want to say how much we love each other without words, we make the "okay" sign.

Or we just say "3 fingers-and-a-pinch." 

And we both know what it means. 

Dear Claire~  

Thank you for spending the day with me.

You are so special and I am so glad God gave you to me.

3 fingers-and-a-pinch.

~Mama