It was totally unexpected. I was puttering around the house on a hot summer day in Florida. Julie, my next door neighbor called and asked me to have breakfast with her. Julie is a high school honors teacher who doesn’t have much extra time during the school year to socialize. I said I would love to have breakfast with her and we set up a date.

After a few minutes of getting acquainted, I realized that Julie had something more on her mind than getting to know each other. She was on a mission. Julie had just got back from “character camp.” It seems our Florida Governor, Jeb Bush had mandated that character education be taught in the schools. Julie relayed to me that she was really pumped up about this. (She had always tried to teach character education to her pupils, though indirectly) She went on to say that while sitting on the beach and watching the waves one day, she knew she had to write a book on character education. That’s where I came in.

“I want you to help me write this book. I am very passionate about this,” she explained. I told her that although I was in a romance writer’s club years ago, I couldn’t seem to put the words on the page. Something was stopping me but I didn’t know what it was. I told her that my dream was always to be a writer, but guessed it was just a dream. The words just wouldn’t come.

“Why do you think that I can write? You don’t know me that well,” I asked.

We had spoken casually when seeing each other in the yard or getting mail, but that was all until this moment.

“I can’t tell you why I know this. I just know that you can write. Maybe it’s fate or God. I don’t know but I know you can do this. I need a partner. There is another teacher who has retired that I also want as a partner. The three of us together can do this. I know we can.”

I heard myself saying I would do it. I really wanted to write more than anything. I didn’t know how I would do it but Julie was so sure that I could write. It was really quite amazing that she knew this.

The next week, Julie, Laura and I went out to lunch. Laura and I were introduced to each other and l liked her quite unassuming manner right away. It seemed to complement Julie’s certainty and aggressiveness. As a matter of fact, each one of our personalities seemed to fit together like a jig saw puzzle. As one, we could flow together and fill in each other’s weak parts.