As a teenager — when most people want to meet movie stars — I wanted to hang out with authors. I get to do that for beyond anything I could have imagined. I literally have to pinch myself some days when I think about the people I admire that I have come to know and call friends.

Well, today, I head to Orlando for the fulfillment of another dream.

Years ago — too many to share here — I remember meeting our dear family friends the Brenners in Denver after the then called CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) Convention. They’d spent a week hanging out with all kinds of amazingly cool people and getting advance copies of Christian books and music. Gasp! Could anything more wonderful exist?

That year or one very close in time, the manager of the local bookstore came back from the conference with an autographed copy of a Bodie Thoene book — signed to me!!! Unfortunately, I think that book traveled to the first Gulf War with my dad since I have been unable to find it — Sigh. My first autographed book. By one of my favorite authors.

But today, I fly down to Orlando for a writers retreat that is attached to the CBA now called ICRS: International Christian Retail Show. I am so excited! I’ll only be at the show one day, but it will be enough. And to cap the event, I’ll get to see Mr. Brenner for a bit!

So if I don’t post much until I return, you now know why. I’m writing, retreating, and crowd-watching. Ciao!