GHOST MEDICINE author Andrew Smith

My friend Andy Smith taught me to write. We were both on the high school newspaper and while Mrs. Shiffman taught us the bare bones of journalism and layout, he opened up the heart to me. Today on his blog, Andy wrote about me. It meant the world to me, so I thought I'd share a piece of it -- and a link -- with you here.

"I'd like to say how grateful I am to have a friend like Kelly Milner Halls, whom I've known since we were kids. Kelly was really the one who made me start writing again, after so many years of drifting around from situation to situation and place to place. "

Thanks, my oldest friend. Here's to a brilliant new year.