When I was five years old, I remember someone asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told them “Carol Burnett.” It was true then and it’s still true for me.

As I grew a little older, though, I learned to read, and it broadened my outlook a bit. In the third grade I read every Nancy Drew book I could find, along with Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and Little Women.

Little Women was it, too. I think between the third and sixth grades, I probably read Little Women a dozen times. I was going to be Jo March. I was going to tell stories. I was going to be a writer. Period.

In Junior High I joined the school publication staff and worked on the newspaper and the yearbook. In High School I was the Entertainment Editor for the newspaper. I was a writer. Done.

Now in the “real world” I write. I tell stories. I write blogs about story-tellers. I teach children through stories. I have my first novel waiting for publication at the publisher. I have a few more “in development” as they say in the business.

Now do I consider myself Jo March? Well, I don’t have to wear corsets and hoop skirts—so maybe I have a little advantage over the fictional character. But I do consider myself blessed to take adventures in words through reading and story-telling, just as she did.

Whether I’m acting out a silly skit (like Carol Burnett) for a group of kids, or reading a story book, or writing an adventure set in far off lands, story-telling is an essential part of my life. My childhood dreams have come true, and for that I am truly grateful.

As far as the movie versions of my favorite books, I must say that I love them all. Liberties were taken, but in every case I found that the players all stayed true to the spirit of the characters.

That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading.