If you read this blog with any kind of regularity, you know that Robyn De Hart and I are critique partners. We read each other’s books before we ship them off to the editors. We provide feedback when necessary and that final boost to the ego it sometimes takes to get the courage to actually send it in. We also brainstorm and occasional help with research.

But in addition to being my critic partner, she’s also my best friend. Of course, that term is tricky because I also consider my husband and my sister best friends, but as any woman knows, each of those roles is unique and it really is possible to have three best friends.

Now, you may not care that we’re best friends–I mean, generally speaking, I don’t know anything about your friends. Not that I don’t want to, but …. well, Robyn is feeling under the weather today, so I thought today would be like a tribute blog. So that when she’s feeling better and checks the blog, she’ll know lots of people were thinking positive thoughts about her today.

Here are four fun facts about Robyn De Hart and/or our friendship:

• We’ve been critiquing each others books for twelve years now.  We were critique partners before we were friends and  long before we were friends.
• When we met, nearly all my clothes were some shade of brown, black or a sort of muddy moss green. I didn’t think I looked good in color. So I walked around looking like one of those tree people from The Lords of the Rings. She took me shopping and made me buy something bright blue. Changed my life. Seriously.
• She was there at the birth of my daughter. She and The Professor spent like twelve hours at the hospital the night she was born. And went out for fast food at one in the morning so The Geek and I could have something to eat. That’s friendship.
• When my daughter was born, I got flowers delivered from like five people. When my son was born, I didn’t get squat. I was so sad about it. Then a few days later I got this beautiful basket of goodies from Robyn. It was so sweet and wonderful it totally made up for the fact that my mom decided not to “inconvenience” me with flowers. FYI, flowers are never an inconvenience. Gift baskets aren’t either.
• Once, when we first started hanging out, Robyn and I went to blockbuster to rent a movie and spent like four hours wandering around just talking about different movies we both love. The list is long.
• When we first started critiquing, she told me I had the handwriting of a serial killer. I haven’t let her live that one down. But now we critique on-line.
• When she sold her first book, she called to tell me and I was sitting in Taco Bell eating lunch with a book. I cried so much I think I scared other people in the restaurant. She sold Seduce Me to Grand Central Publishing five days after the birth of my son. Again, I cried. I remember getting her good news as vividly as I remember getting my own.

The truth is, this is sometimes a tough business … geez, it’s a tough world sometimes. I can’t imagine navigating it without her.