One day, my fifth grade teacher Mrs. Bolton assigned the class a book report. Having already read all of the books in her wheeled "library" cart, I asked if there were any other stories available, preferably one with a little less fairytale and a little more substance. The next day she pulled me aside and handed me her personal copy of Harper Lee's American classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. Thus began the rest of my life.I never returned that book, and I never stopped reading. Somewhere along the way I started writing, and it's taken me places I could never imagine. But most of all, the lesson I learned that day remains paramount: A little kindness coupled with effective storytelling can change a life.