to be a writer

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Blogher asking if they could please syndicate a post that I had written on my blog, earlier in the month. They told me (in actual words) that they loved the post and they thought it was very empowering for working mothers to realize they had the option to say "No" to work activities that clashed with important family activities.

Considering that post generated a lot of ... not exactly favorable feedback on my own blog ... I was very surprised and flattered that they would reach out to me and offer me real money for my writing. So I notified them that yes, of course, I'd be honored if they syndicated my rambling thoughts on the front page of their website that is connected to 26,000,000 women bloggers.

Make it 26,000,001.

Give or take.

I'll admit, it's really quite a rush for someone to read your thoughts and respond favorably and then, want to share and circulate those thoughts far and wide. So you can imagine the rush that I'm feeling ... on behalf of my dear friend, Debbie ... who is already a published author but is now also the author of the newest book in the "For Dummies" collection.

Approximately six and a half years ago, Charlie and I were coming home from a doctor's visit with our three-month-old triplet babies. As we carried them in to the house, one carseat at a time, of our neighbors [whom at that point we didn't know very well] came running over to see what she thought was just one baby. She quickly noticed that we had THREE babies and she almost hyperventilated as she told us that her best friend is the mother-in-law of a woman who also lives in the neighborhood and just delivered triplet boys.

Debbie and her family, it would turn out, lived less than a mile down the street from us. And although our paths had never crossed before that exact moment in time, the friendship between our families took root over the next few years. Our friendship positively blossomed when Debbie, despite recoiling at the thought of raising almost $3K, agreed to not only complete the necessary fundraising, but then walk sixty miles over the span of three days with me, in 2009.

It takes a special kind of friend to make such a huge commitment.

And Debbie is very special indeed.

If you are an aspiring young adult writer ... or know someone who is ... this book (or perhaps several copies of this book) is a must-have for their library. You can also check out Debbie's blogsite DearEditor.com where she will be hosting several giveaways over the next few days, including a full manuscript edit to celebrate her book launch.

Debbie: You are an inspiration. I am so proud of you and wish you the most incredible kind of success!!