For me, one of the most fun things about writing a book is discovering the secondary characters who lend their own unique contribution to the main character’s story. Very few of my secondary characters are planned from the beginning, instead springing rather organically as the story unfolds. However, when writing SLEEP NO MORE, the character of Maggie was there from the very beginning—and she’s one of my all time favorites. Maggie is a teen with Down Syndrome and a whole lot of spunk. Writing her was a pure delight. In addition to adding dimension to my fictional story, she brought some wonderful people into my real life. For my hometown book launch, I decided I wanted to partner with a local service organization to help raise awareness, as well as money for them. My son had been involved with an activity that benefited Best Buddies Indiana, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Perfect fit! My son made the arrangements and we teamed up with Best Buddies Indiana and had a great event. Even better, I made some wonderful new friends. Check out the video for more information about Best Buddies and our event.