You may not know this, but I write my books on the beach. Yup, that’s where my creativity goes wild because of the beauty (did you notice all the beach scenes in Beauty’s Secret?) Now, living in a land-locked state like Colorado makes this a bit challenging, but I travel to both Michigan in the summer (where I grew up) and Florida in the winter and have my favorite (secret) spots I write. Last month I was at one of my favorite writing spots on Lake Michigan putting the finishing touches on Star’s Attraction (more on that next month!), purposely tucked far down the beach so as to not be bothered, when I was distracted by a family of four right in front of me. A momentary annoyance immediately turned into a powerful curiosity as to what they were doing. Clad in swimsuits, the mom had on purple rubber gloves, the dad carrying a funky contraption with a claw-type thing on it, and the two preteen girls were carrying oversized trash bags….they were picking up the trash on the beach!

I cannot tell you the impact it had on me. First of all, because, in spite of traveling the world as a model, I still think Lake Michigan beaches are some of the most beautiful anywhere, and was disturbed to see its beauty tainted by trash strewn here and there. Secondly, to see a family doing this together, and the lesson it was teaching the girls was very powerful. I realized that to “make the world a better place,” including having people treat each other well, requires us to honor and respect our environment. For scientific reasons too detailed to get into here, it raises the vibration of our energy, creating positive vibes that put people in a place to respect not only our planet, but other humans as well. I realized how very important all those precious stories on pollution/litter/recycling from the students are, and wish to thank not only the writing students, but my dear new friends Jessica, Marlee, Miah (and dad!) for the important insight you brought to me that beautiful sunny day on the beach. Keep up the good work, our world needs you!

By the way, for more information on the Young Authors League Writing Contest, including updates and a list of finalists, please visit my Young Authors League Page and the CIPA website.