Finally!

Monday was a teacher in-service day. Some of those, I get tons accomplished. Some of those, not so much. Monday was so-so, as I did get plans ready for the week and all junior poetry folders checked off. I did spend an hour simply gabbing with Connie and Wayne and Joey (who eloped over spring break!).

So Connie, the big tease, leans back in her chair and says, "I read this book on the way back from Disney . . ."

She grins and I just knew. I knew. She'd finally read Fall Into Me, which has been loaded on her Sony reader since she bought one just to torture me. I pounced. "What did you think?"

Wayne and Joey are clueless, of course, but Connie grins and says, "I loved it."

High praise, I'm telling you. Connie reads a lot and her praise is sparing. As she told me, she's read all my books except Memories of Us, Hearts Awakened and Facing It, but FIM was the first one to stay with her after it was over. She loved Troy Lee, loved his background, etc. and she liked that Angel was an independent woman.

I've been dying for Connie to read this book because I wanted to ask her what she thought of the resolution. So for the past six weeks or so, she's kept me waiting while she worked on her doctoral portfolio. (BTW, I'm not even allowed to mention said portfolio in her presence -- she is NOT making me want to work on my doctorate!)

At that point, we proceeded to confuse Joey and Wayne even further as we talked about the ending, her opinion of it, the options I had, the Georgia law that could have been my easy way out but which would have been all wrong for the characters, reader feedback I've received, etc. I'm pretty sure Joey and Wayne were happy when we finally shut up (we continued the conversation over lunch, at least until we got into the unique ways Connie solves power struggles . . . I'm going to steal her life for a book one day.).

Finally being able to discuss the book with her was worth it, though, because I can always count on totally honest feedback and a depth of discussion with her. I can talk and even argue with her and it's okay, because at the end of it all, we're still friends (although we're still arguing her reader response to What Mattered Most two years later . . .).

I wonder what would happen if I texted her the word "porfolio" . . .? :-D