I think one of the most amazing parts of being in this business is the sheer number of people you get to meet, either in person or online. The good friends you gather along the way who come into your life by chance and then seem to have been a part of your life forever. This week I saw a good friend, Lara Adrian, reach a pinnacle in her career – #6 on the New York Times list with her latest Midnight Breed book, Midnight Rising – and I was dizzy with excitement for her. When I couldn’t get a hold of her, I called our mutual agent and she and I did the happy dance over the phone. Now to anyone in my local Target who just happened to witness me doing said happy dance, my apologies. But I digress.

I met Lara Adrian about 10 years ago. A year or so ago we were trying to remember when and how we met, and neither of us could come up with something concrete. But as it was, we were both living in Phoenix, both longing for our respective coasts (mine: the Pacific Northwest: hers: the Upper Atlantic) and just starting out in our respective careers. We both moved in opposite directions about the same time, but never lost touch, emailing each other, spending time at conferences, and sharing writing advice, cheers, promo ideas, and sometimes a bit of gossip, along the way. (Girlfriend, I still owe you for suggesting The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines when I was stuck in the middle of It Takes a Hero.) When I hit the USA Today for the first time, Lara sent me flowers. I returned the favor when she hit.

When she took the risk of leaving historicals to write her vampire series, I could only watch in awe, because to me it was such a giant leap of faith. But not for her. She made it look effortless, writing her books with discipline and heart, and her series took off–and rightly so, they are great books if you haven’t read one.

And this week, found her on the New York Times bestseller list. I spent the day grinning, because in this business where jealousy, and snarky spitefulnes, and being “bitchy” is synonymous with being considered intelligent and profound, (snort!) it is just so refreshing, so wonderfully rejuvenating to see a friend fly without a safety net and soar, to see someone who is kind, and truly intelligent, and so darned gifted get what she rightly deserves.

So who do you admire? What makes you stand up and cheer? And since we are being warm and fuzzy today, what friend do you need to email and say “hi!”? Because I know this for sure: Friends rock.