Allegra (29 page)
I can feel him nodding. “You certainly did put a lot of yourself into it, and perhaps lost yourself in it too, I'll give you that. And being good at something doesn't necessarily mean that it's the thing you should be doing. We should each choose the career that we want to pursue.”
I think about Noel. He may be a good teacher, but he's also a great musician, and writing and performing is what he really wanted to do. In a bizarre kind of way, I helped him realize that dream.
“And the great thing is, Legs, the human spirit, or soul, as you called it, has a wonderful way of regenerating itself.”
I smile, realizing how right he is. I close my eyes and listen to him play the opening notes of
Allegra
on his guitar.
It makes me want to dance.
Once again I am grateful for the wise feedback from my “first readers” and cheering committee, Diane Tullson and Kim Denman. Huge thanks and hugs to my daughter Cara Lee Hrdlitschka for sharing her passion for dance, musician extraordinaire Geoffrey Kelly for advice on music composition, and my sister Heather Verrier for her continued enthusiasm and support. Finally, a special thank-you to all the wonderful people at Orca Book Publishers for keeping me in the pod.
Shelley Hrdlitschka
discovered her love for children's literature as a teacher. This gave her the idea to try writing her own books, and she is now the author of nine novels for teens, all published by Orca Book Publishers. Shelley lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia. When she's not writing she can be found hiking, snowshoeing, practicing yoga, Zumba dancing or volunteering at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife.