Guest Authors and Smiling Faces (whether you can see them or not…)

For the first time in over a year (since Covid lockdowns), I was lucky enough to make an in-person guest author visit to a local school. We all had masks, there was a hand sanitizing station off to my left, and the teachers and I had all been vaccinated. To be honest, it was a bit surreal.

But it was awesome.

We sang a song (I brought my guitar). I read things from my books. We discussed being an author. I asked about the students’ writing. They asked about my character (and real-life cat) Bluebell. We shared. We talked. We laughed.

And I realized that wearing masks didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. It didn’t lessen the electricity in that room, an electricity of kids excited about reading, excited about writing.

And, even though the masks covered the faces of those wonderfully exuberant students, their smiles were most certainly there.

Just like mine.

Thanks, kids.

I needed that.