She's a multi-engine jet pilot, flight instructor, secret squirrel, Ph.D. and head of a law enforcement agency, after a long career in the field carrying a sidearm. A gifted poet, whose prose and poetry often made me gasp in admiration. Out of all the people who encouraged me to write, this beautiful brainy patriot stepped up candidly, warmly and courageously. I've never met her in person, and very much want to, however awkward it will be. I'm old and ugly, a small civilian who hasn't had to face much evil. I write about good and evil, of course. I saw just enough in prison and out to have an opinion.
I know this remarkable redhead from her writings -- hundreds of long posts -- and her private letters by email that I cherished more deeply than all others I've received. It's hard to describe how much this lady inspired me, not only as the real-life reference for my projection of an ideal woman in The Case Files of Cable & Blount, but likewise an unexpected ally in the hardship of writing novels. The work is intensely difficult. She had my back, freed me to write.
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