The cover for my upcoming book. Whoo hoo! Targeted for September release

This book is creative non-fiction. In other words, 90%-95% of it is true. Names have been changed  to protect the innocent as they say, but I will confess--Audrey is based on me.

At age 42, Audrey took her first trip to England with her friend Sue. Audrey's boyfriend had traded for a lease on a cottage in the village of Upper Warlingham and treated them to a three week vacation.

However, nestled in high grass and weeds, what they imagined as a charming, quaint cottage turned out to look as foreboding as a haunted house. The windows were covered in such a heavy layer of dust and dirt they appeared opaque. A few loose shingles on the roof made flapping noises as a slight breeze lifted them and dropped them back.  

This rocky start could have ruined their whole trip, but instead Audrey and Sue have a completely unexpected adventure and officially earn the title "Cougar."

Look for it in September, 2012.

How do you recognize a true friend?

Nope, these aren't my slick radar glasses. Just a fun pair I tried on when I was in Australia last year, but thought they sort of went with this post about seeking out old friends.

Today I once again realized the special quality of a true friendship. A few years back I connected with my best friend from elementary school in Chicago after I was able to get her current address through a high school reunion list. I didn't go to that high school because we moved to California, but knew that many of my elementary school friends had.

I contacted her and we were in the groove immediately. That's what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter how many years pass, if the friendship was true, it should still be there. She lives in a different state, so we don't see each other often, but every time she comes into Los Angeles we try to hook up, and the connection reignited all because I emailed the address on that high school reunion list.

Today I gave into the temptation to try to find someone who "did me wrong" several years ago by shelling out the few bucks it takes to do an identity search. Something I decided not to do on other occasions. BTW, it is a little scary how much information  is out there about most people if you are willing to pay to get it. Well, I guess this slimy dude managed to stay under the radar (if he's still alive) so there was nothing beyond some info from several years ago. While I was searching and had paid for a 7 day window,  I decided to take a chance and plug in the name of someone who was a dear friend I lost contact with many years ago, just to see what would come up.

What came up, among other things, was a phone number. I took the plunge and called, then left my name and number on the answering machine. I hadn't seen this person for probably 20 years. A few years ago his old phone number popped into my mind out of nowhere, and just kept doing that. I had the feeling something must be wrong at that time and called the number, but it was completely outdated. I even did a search on the internet and didn't find anything. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened.

I'm so glad I called and left a message today. Lo and behold, a few hours ago my phone rang, and --yep-- it was my  friend from the past. Turned out he had been very sick when I was getting those vibes but is now recovered. And there it was. The unique  sign of a true friendship. We talked for an hour as though the last time we'd seen each other had only been a day or so ago.

Here is what I learned. Don't allow yourself to lose track of true friends. It really felt good to reconnect and I know we will have lots to talk about as we play catch up. After all, a ton of time has passed with many changes for both of us.