Yesterday I had lunch with a dear friend, catching up on lost years by returning to the reality of our lives’ stories. Our hearts filled with love and gratitude for the memories we share; the messages we have learned from the past that have shaped us both. We plunged into a reality filled with personal growth, shocks, hurts, loves and compassion. Discovering we both have grown emotionally, having escaped from the expectations we lived under  in our pasts. Having found who we are as people. 

I kept touching the hand of my friend, confirming we were on the same page. Warming to each other in new ways. Discovering the power of healing.

As Flannery O’Connor wrote, ‘The reality of life is very shocking to the system’ yet when we face our lives from a healed perspective, they unraveled effortlessly, showering us with understanding and shared love.  

Writers probably can identify with this quote by Flannery O’Connor in *Mystery and Manners* who wrote the following: “I’m always highly irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it’s very shocking to the system.”It is this reflection when shared in written form, that opens the world to readers who desire to ‘plunge into the world of reality.’ 

As my friend and I chatted, I kept seeing the storyline of ‘The Fortune Seeekers – Dan and Charlotte’ before me. Recognising I, as a writer, had plunged bravely into my personal reality, (taken from my past), revealing and discovering who I was and how I became who I now am, as the pages turn. 

Forgetting the grammatical errors unfound in the editing process, I regained my confidence about my first novel. Determined to forge on, and tell the stories that help those who are prepared to escape, and who are willing to face their masks of convention.

Thank you dear friend. 

I believe we restored and healed each other as we shared lunch. 

Enjoy my book.