berg is the word

{photo credit: weheartit.com}

"when i sat out on the porch, i saw three teenaged girls walk by in cut-off jeans and t-shirts and flip-flops, engaged in intense conversation. for one moment, i felt again what that was like, being a teenage girl in the summer. i remembered the feel of soft cotton shorts and t-shirts, and the delicious urgency of sharing everything with my best friends. 

{photo credit: weheartit.com}

i saw an older man fly by on what looked like a new bicycle, and it made me want to get a new bike, too. nothing like a buying a bike to make you feel like a kid again. i heard voices from near by houses floating out the screen windows, and i heard the pounding of sneakers on pavement and the short, fast exhalations of the runners. the dogs lay with their front paws hooked over the top step, panting, their ears up in the high alert position. 

{photo credit: weheartit.com}

and then the fireflies came out. and i thought, ah, who cares what you see in them mirror? look out at the summer night, and the coming and goings of your species, and the enchanting sight of the fireflies blinking on and off, on and off. i never think of them as insects. i think of them as tinkerbell, which is why i will never be a responsible adult. if i could hire someone to be the adult in the house, i would. manage the books, will you? i'd say. i'm going out to play." -elizabeth berg

elizabeth berg is my favorite fiction author. i had the chance to meet her last summer at a book reading and signing at quail ridge books. i think, when it was my turn to get my book signed, i said: 

"ohmygoshyouaretheabsolutebestandiloveeverythingyouhaveeverwritteniwishicouldwritelikeyoubecauseyoureallycapturethewayifeelaboutlifewheredoyougetyourideasdoyoujustthinkofthemordotheycometoyouthroughlifeexperiencesamitalkingtoofast?"

she was kind and gracious (as i've always imagined her to be), and she took my book and scrawled a very personal and touching message to me, clearly realizing i was her #1 fan. to lacey, warmest wishes. elizabeth berg. did me and elizabeth berg just become best friends? yup. 

what is it about her books that pull me in? i think it's because her female characters remind me so much of myself. sometimes they're brave and sassy. sometimes they feel weak and helpless. they have internal monologues (just like me!) they over think things (all over that.) they take pleasure in simple things like a cup of coffee or a good talk with a girlfriend. i know they're fictional characters, but i wish they were flesh and blood people because i think we would be good friends. we'd have a lot to talk about. and things to over think. 

if you want to find out more about her, you can check her out here. do you have a summer reading list? if so, add these two by ms. berg:

{photo credit: elizabeth-berg.net}

talk before sleep (read with a box of tissues)

{photo credit: elizabeth-berg.net}

the year of pleasures (see above)

your turn! is there a certain author that you just adore? what is it about his or her writing that grabs and keeps your attention?