As many of you know, last spring we lost Derek Anderson, a dear friend, illustrator of my Raymond and Roxy series, and creator of many other wonderful books.  Derek loved his work and, in spite of a grave illness, was determined to finish one more before leaving us.  His final book just came out (June 10th) and, true to Derek’s heart and spirit, it is filled with light.

In Bring Up the Sun, Grandfather Sun decides to retire, leaving his grandson to pick up the torch and light the world.  (Father Sun isn’t interested in the job.)  Little Sun feels the pressure of filling his grandfather’s shoes, especially when nobody seems to like the way he shines.  His confidence waning, Sun has a heart to heart with his granddad who wisely tells him: “There are some in this world who will never be happy.  They’re too busy looking for everything that’s wrong with it.  You have to shine anyway.   Just be you.  The world needs your light.”

My heart skipped a beat at these lovely words.  I realized Derek was working on his book while I was writing Radiant.  My character Cooper wants to shine, too.  She has to learn the same thing as little Sun —“Just be you.  The world needs your light.”  And, in happily-ever-after fashion, Little Sun goes on to “spread his joyful light everywhere.”

This revelation made me feel closer than ever to Derek.  Thank you, my marvelous friend, for making what was already our deep connection even stronger.

So go forth and shine bright!  The world needs your light.

To further the feeling, you may want to listen to “Be a Light” by Thomas Rhett.

For more books by Derek, here’s a link to “The World of Derek Anderson”.