Being a published author brings with it some wonderful perks—you see your name in print. You see your work in print. You can Google your name and find hundreds of links to your work. You get some marvelously flattering reviews. You meet people in the most unlikely places who know of you—have read your books or your magazine articles. But one of my favorite perks is when the grandchildren become aware of your accomplishments and share this with their fellow students and teachers.
I’m the author of the only comprehensive history ever written about the Ojai Valley. Over the years, my grandchildren sat in classes where the teacher spoke about the book or referenced it for a module on local history. My grandchildren always took pride in raising their hands and saying, “My Nana wrote that book!”
This weekend, I was presented with a very special gift from a very special nine-year-old granddaughter—a book report on the first in my Klepto Cat Mystery series, Catnapped. She made it to look like a book and even included a game on back and a prize inside the box she used as a form. I loved that she drew an arrow to my name and wrote, “My Nana!”
I’ve collected a lot of meaningful gifts here in my office—a picture of one grandson flying his plane, an angel figure from a granddaughter, a stained glass depicting the cover of my first Ojai history book from my daughters, family pictures…and this book report now holds a very special spot among my treasures. Thank you, dear Alyzay.
