An author's shinning moment

Some have asked me what value there is in writing Romance.

There was one shining moment in my early career which gives purpose to what I do.

I'm a retired school teacher but for nearly thirty years I taught school. When I started writing I was teaching Home Economics in the high school. At the time, I was forty something (No woman tells her true age.) I was definitely seen as the grandmotherly type.

One afternoon, as I hurried to the workroom for something, (I don't remember what) one of my male students, a senior, stopped me in the hall. He wanted to know if he could talk to me. He wanted to talk about my novel. By this time, I got a bit defensive if anyone said they wanted to talk about MY book because in my conservative district a romance author teaching Home Ec was frowned on by some parents.

He indicated he wished to have his say someplace private, not in the hallway, so we went to a corner of the library. I assured him we would talk, and I figured, "Oh boy, here it comes again! Another - shame on you, or how could you, or my parents..." I'd heard it all before.

However, once we gained a quiet corner, he hung his head and admitted that my book was the first book he'd ever read. I remember asking if he liked it and all he did was nod.

A couple of years later I ran into that same student in a local bookstore, his arms full of hardbacks, best selling novels and nonfiction books. I got an accusing look and he quiped, "Look what you've done to me. Now I spend all my extra money on books."

If my books convince one young person reading is worthwhile, then my work has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.

Allison
www.AllisonKnight.com
Heart-warming Romance with a Sensual Touch
Watch for my December short story, "A Matter of Passion"
from Champagne Books