Words of Gratitude...

By Charlotte Bennardo

My favorite teacher? It's a tie between my seventh grade and senior high school English teachers; Mr. Cavuto and Mr. Grattan. I admired them so much, I dedicated Blonde OPS to them: 

I can think of no higher expression of my respect for them, and gratitude for educating me. 

I reached out to them, but sadly, Mr. Grattan had passed. His wife and children were thrilled when I sent a signed copy to them and thanked me. I met up with Mr. Cavuto about two years ago. He became a university professor after leaving my junior high school and then a literacy specialist, and is still working as far as I know. 

When someone influences your life so profoundly that it changes your life and you'll never forget them, saying 'thank you' is too paltry. So I put my gratitude and thanks into words- and I think they'd appreciate that more than hearing it. 

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, and paranormal genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has two short stories in the Beware the Little White Rabbit (Alice through the Wormhole) and Scare Me to Sleep (Faces in the Wood) anthologies. Currently she is working on several novels for both children and adults, and her MFA. She lives in NJ with her family and her floofy cat. When they trimmed the backyard tree, the crazy squirrel couple had to move out.