It’s common practice for authors to dedicate their work to someone important to them. With my Soul in Ashes series, I’ve decided to dedicate each novella to a teacher that made a positive difference in my life.

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(Photo credit: George Eastman House via VisualHunt.com / No known copyright restrictions)

Out of the Past, the first book in the series, is dedicated to Mrs. Davis. The dedication reads:

To Mrs. Davis
For encouraging a twelve year old overachiever to be a writer.

Here’s the story behind the dedication:

Mrs. Davis was my English teacher in 7th grade. (Back when we still called it “English” and not “Language Arts.” Yes. I’m that old.) She told the class that she would give extra credit if we wrote a short story and handed it in to her. Well, I was all over that! Never mind that I was already getting an “A” in the class, I started writing short stories like crazy and throwing them her way like a tsunami. She must have been rather shocked to get such an enthusiastic reaction.

In spite of being bombarded with a twelve-year-old’s writing, Mrs. Davis patiently read through each draft I gave her, adding grammar corrections and writing encouraging notes in the margins.

My favorite note was when she told me “You are a writer!” I felt like I’d really arrived, to read those words from her.

Mrs. Davis was definitely one of the reasons I decided to pursue my dream to become a published author. I’m so grateful for her patience and her support! Book 1 is for her.