My uncle Jim was the first to recommend John Grisham to me. “You’ve got to read this,” he said. So I did. And I was hooked. The mystery, the fast-paced, adrenaline plot-ride that kept me up turning pages just to see what happened reeled me in and I am still a fish on the line all these years later. I’ve now read twenty-nine of his books, legal thrillers and regular fiction, and wait expectantly for the next title to be released.

I’ve often commented that if I could trade career lives with any one person, it would be Mr. John Grisham. What better career to have? He has made a living, a very, very, very good one, I might add, doing what he loves-writing the characters and stories in his imagination. I may never write as many books as he or have as many fans, but I use his personal story for inspiration. He was rejected over two dozen times before finding a publisher for his first novel. Yet, he kept trying and now look at his amazing career. I stand in awe of what he has done with his writing ability.

I remind myself, as I am just a “newbie”, that all famous authors once were just that-new authors trying to carve out a small niche for themselves, struggling with ‘what-if’s and rejection letters. After spending the first thirty-two years of my life avoiding pursuing my dream because I was too afraid, I am just happy to finally be on the road, bumpy though it may be. And I won’t give up. I will think of Mr. John Grisham, and Mr. Zane Grey, and Ms. Carolyn Keene (et.al) and remember they were once in my shoes, and thank them for writing what was in their hearts, activating my imagination, and inspiring little old me. #johngrisham