I write paranormal novels.  There are a lot of strange goings on all the time in my fictional world.  In my real world, my feet are pretty firmly planted on the ground.  I’ve never seen a ghost. I’ve had the fingers of premonition tickle my nape – but who hasn’t?  And honestly, that could be called instinct, or hindsight, even.

But sometimes, cool stuff happens that has no explanation.

I love sand dollars. The shells. They seem like a spiritual thing to me, I don’t know why – but it is what it is.  Jupiter’s beaches aren’t known for their sand dollars, but on occasion I have managed to find them – whole and beautiful.  I go to the beach for solace.  Back in June of 06, on my husband’s 40^th birthday, I got the fed ex in the mail with my contracts returned to me for the original Goddess in Training series.  No warning, no explanation, nothing – just my rights and a letter saying that Medallion no longer would be doing young adult novels.

My first ever published book was supposed to be on the shelves in 6 months.  Now, it wasn’t.

So, my wonderful hubby wiped my tears, toasted our future with tequila, and took me to the beach.

Sand dollars – whole sand dollars – are a prize to be scooped up immediately.  When I’ve found mine, they’ve usually been in the water, or at the water’s edge.  This day, when I was so broken-hearted, when I couldn’t see because I was crying so hard for a dream that had been smashed for no reason given to me – I found an entire sand dollar, literally waiting for me in the sand.  I took it as a sign to keep my chin up, and to stop whining.  Times can be tough, but it’s the ones that keep going that make it.  My sand dollar wasn’t pretty.  It had scratches on the top – it looked like it had been through hell.   But it was whole, and it matched my mood, lol.  My husband says that I am the only person he knows that can walk out to a Jupiter beach and bring back a sand dollar.

Anyway, not exactly a 10 on the heebie jeebie scale, but it is sort of cool.