After eleven books together, two series, some picture books, and a harrowing Boston Marathon experience, I finally got to have lunch with Laurie Friedman.

With Lerner located in Minneapolis, it’s not uncommon for us to work with authors we’ve met only through email and phone calls. But when I’m working with any author for the first time, and helping to shape something as personal as someone’s original stories, the virtual connection feels most significantly virtual as we get to know each other’s personality and preferences, without the cues of face-to-face contact or the context of in-person meetings.

And as I came to realize, there’s so much of Laurie in her. April’s spunk and humor certainly draw from Laurie’s personality. As we developed April’s character and voice over drafts and more phone chats, I learned about Laurie’s family, her childhood, her pets, her southern roots–and I heard plenty about the weather in Miami, where she lives. (Laurie, FYI, we’re getting snow flurries again here. No need to report on your weather today…) As we then worked through a second, third, fourth, and fifth book of April’s misadventures, Laurie and I shared more laughs, deep thinking, volleying ideas, and celebrating Laurie’s successes. She’s always a delight, but seeing her push herself as an author through this series was particularly a joy.
Cut to 2015. On April 20, I ran the Boston Marathon, a challenge I’d never before been willing to take on because it requires training through January, February, and March. Those are the coldest, darkest, snowiest months in Minnesota, so I joined a gym and logged substantial treadmill miles. I relied on the camaraderie of runner friends to make it through long weekend runs outside in 11 degrees and shorter runs after work in the pitch-dark of 6:00 pm. I brushed off eyelash icicles, which are actually a real thing. I studied the course to prepare myself for the infamous Heartbreak Hill. And then, after booking my ticket to Boston for the race, I booked myself a flight from Boston to Miami. After four months of winter training, I was going to the beach. (Race-day conditions of 40 degrees, chilling rain, and 20-mph winds made me thankful for the foresight.)

At Books & Books, the fantastic Miami indie bookstore, I got to see first-hand how involved Laurie is as a local children’s author. Over lunch I heard the backstory of her first Mallory book, we shared thoughts about future projects, and most importantly, we got to fill in some of the “metadata” about each other: body language, lunch choices, facial expressions in storytelling. Sharing a conversation over a meal. Laughing in person.
