It’s always a shock to pick up a newspaper and find a friend’s face looking out from under a headline such as “Author, writing mentor Emyl Jenkins, 68, dies.” It wasn’t that we were super-close everyday friends– we mostly met at writing events. Emyl, you see, was special. She was the first person who introduced herself when I first joined James River Writers, and I discovered that once she knew someone, she was never too busy to chat. We exchanged occasional e-mails and enjoyed catching up when whenever we met.
I enjoyed Emyl’s sense of humor in her two Sterling Glass mysteries, The Big Steal and Stealing with Style, and I’m glad I have them in my library (you can read a review of the first one at my NAIWE blog). They’ll always remind me of their author, a gracious Southern lady whose warmth and kindness brightened Richmond for far too short a time.
Requiescat in pace, Emyl. Thank you for everything.
