I have always wanted to meet an author. My dad works for a lot of popular authors in Cashiers, North Carolina. The other day, I went to work with him and met one of the most intriguing people I have ever came in contact with. I was actually very nervous when my dad pulled up into the driveway of whom he called an author.

This writer was the person who gave me a lot of encouragement in my writing. Despite working on a middle school book at the time, she listened to my story ideas, commented and praised my work; she said she found them exciting, advising me that 'a secret was very good in a plot.' I hadn't expected this response from an author who was busy getting her new book published, accepting this response put me back into the craft of writing, hence the smile on my face.

I was also told that I should be expecting to wait for some of the longest times. She expressed her ideas on the writing world in very good detail. From what I could tell she left nothing out. I was told that you had to be very patient with a novel. You couldn't expect your editor and publisher to speed into anything. She said that the writing world took years to get your work on the shelves.

The advice she had given thrilled me. She left me her email address and told me to send her my newest story and she would be willing to edit it for me. It was a very nice experience and I think I wouldn't mind doing it again someday.