My nonfiction writer’s list of things I am thankful for.

Like everyone else, tomorrow I will gather round a Thanksgiving table and celebrate my appreciation for family and friends.  But today I lift up a few things that make my job as a nonfiction writer easier and enjoyable.  What would you add to the list?

• The spark of another new idea
• The perfect kid-friendly analogy to show a complex concept
• Nonfiction-reading boys
• A dynamite quote that lifts me off my seat
• A thorough bibliography in the back of a book
• Experts who love to talk
• Fifteen cent notebooks at a back-to-school sale
• Finding the perfect“Oh Wow” fact
• A new ream of paper
• Eeking that last page out of the printer before the ink cartridge croaks
• The smell of an old reference book
• Librarians
• My critique group - Irreverent only begins to describe them
• An enthusiastic husband who doesn’t mind slamming chicken bones in the car door for an experiment.
• oh, yeah - and the next book contract.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!