Corie came to pick me up when I was at a conference in San Diego. We'd only met on Facebook, but from early on she'd stepped in as my cheerleader as I worked at shaping myself online as a writer with a book to promote. She is the queen of showing up, of saying wonderful things, of making me feel that even though selling a book copy by copy can be demoralizing work, there are bright skies because people like her are in it. Not people like her. Her. 

When she came to get me in San Diego she brought me a persimmon and took me out to dinner. I felt like I had known her forever, like she was a sister or a mother or an aunt or a best friend. She is one of those people who you know would throw water on you if you were on fire instead of running away in fear. She's one of those people who would think about what you need even before she met you in person. She's one of those people who makes everyone else feel good. And, incidentally, she's really smart and beautiful. 

She is a writer. (She is other things, but I'm focusing on her writing here.) Her book Orfan is marvelous and full of gorgeous prose AND was optioned to be made into a movie, but I chose to read a bit from America's Most Eligible here because it is darkly and lightly funny and is set in Davis, California, a town I love. You can go on Amazon and order both books, a move I highly recommend. 

Enjoy.

See you tomorrow.

xoxo