Writing is a solitary occupation and it's easy to get discouraged. I have met a wonderful independent bookseller who loves authors. She freely admits, "I'm not a writer, I have no ambition to be a writer," but she supports local writers. She opens her bookshop one night a month for a growing group of authors to gather and learn from each other, to share stories and a warm drink, and to build a community. She does this simply to be kind--recogniizing our work and using what she has to encourage and support us.