sheol will spicer changed mine. she said you can write. you know what you're doing. she tried to put in the honors class and change me. out of conflict she couldn't switch. she said you're going to be sit in the corner the entire year. ignore everything i give. you're going to do the honors work. what she was really saying is you're going to thank me later. a decade later when the first novel was published. i went to her classroom in junior high school. knocked on the door, and i said to her, she said can i help you. she didn't recognize me, last time i had a full head of hair. i said i wrote this book, it's for you. she's crying. and i said why are you crying? i was going to retire this year. >> i said why? >> i didn't think i was having an impact anywhere. are you getting? you have thirty students. we have one teacher. one teacher. she no idea of her impact on the my life here's the best part. it's not in the book. last summer she retired. and as a surprise, i wanted to surprise her to thank the woman who changed my life. i went to retirement party. it's a scary mo