Valentine’s Day. Mid February. The sun is lingering in the sky a little longer every day. In Alaska, they’re gaining six minutes of sunlight daily as they move towards the summer’s midnight sun. And today, Valentine’s, we all get to add sunshine to someone’s day. Barn Owls, with their heart-shaped expressive faces, remind me that our expressions should bear out the best of what we hold deep in our heart.

What makes my heart race and burst with lots of joy is sharing The Tukor’s Journey with kids. At various stages of writing The Tukor’s Journey, I gave early versions of my book to kids to review. Now that I have the real copies in hand, I am giving those early readers a copy as a thank you for tackling an unedited and unfinished work. I can say with confidence that feedback from kids is very valuable! I posted pics with some of those early reviewers on my Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook feeds, and I will, always, remain very grateful for them. As new readers join the journey, I turn into a barn owl with a heart-shaped expression on my face.

I dug this story out from deep inside my heart, and on Valentine’s I hope that as people pick up a copy at their local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, that they feel the deep-hearted gratitude from me! Thank you for sharing in the journey!