This is so cool!

I received some delightful news last night. A young man I know well who has been best friends with my son since they were five years old just got accepted to Columbia in New York for their three year Master's of Fine Arts program in Film. His dream is to have his own film company someday and at the tender age of 25 (with a wife and baby no less) Justin has already been involved in several movies, his biggest job last summer as a production assistant for a Christmas film being released this coming December nationwide; "Together Again for the First Time" starring David Ogden Stiers and Julia Duffy (Patty Duke was supposed to be in it, but that's a whole other story.)

The thing that totally tickles me is that six months ago Justin asked me if he could use the screenplay for my novel The Last Snake Runner for his application process for graduate school. About three years ago I thought it would be a kick to try a screenplay and I picked that novel because it's a very visual based war story/love story with a time travel twist. Two years ago Justin used my screenplay for analysis in a screenplay class while getting his undergraduate degree at BYU. (They had to bring in a screenplay based on a book). This time he used the treatment for his application - and it worked! He's accepted and starts this fall.

I'm so excited for him and to think my words helped him achieve this dream. One of those blessings the universe gives you - just when you wonder if anybody's noticing at all.