A note to 10-year-old Leo, local author extraordinaire.

I wasn't expecting much from the Bee Cave Galleria's local authors showcase but I said I'd be there, so dammit I showed up at nine sharp, with a dozen books packed with F-bombs, promotional bookmarks, stickers, and a portable Square Unit, on the off chance I had a massive run on Books One and Two of the Advertising Survival Guide.

That did not happen. I sold one book and gave two away.

I gave two books away to the parents of young Leo, who may have outsold me that day, but like me, certainly didn't light the world on fire.

I wasn't expecting much from the event, frankly. Leo was by far the best thing that happened to me.

THERE HE SAT, AN AWKWARD, NERVOUS TEN-YEAR-OLD AUTHOR.

Ah, Leo.

Courageous, nervous, and not knowing quite what to expect, young Leo was rolling the dice on two works of fiction, making us both first- and second-time authors.

10-year old Leo could have been playing in the culdesac that morning. I could have been lying beneath a '66 Chevy C10 pickup truck mid-restoration.

But no.

Instead, Leo chose to show up along with his parents and siblings to put his heart on the card table. I came with my wife, Debbie, who had encouraged me to set out my books.

Two pairs of books, bound by sweat equity and determination. Yes, Leo and I had something in common.

As Leo and I would soon learn, the new author's showcase was no match for the free honey-tasting booth some thirty feet away. It attracted a swarm of excited visitors, unlike the local author's showcase.

We sat alone, Leo and I, along with a throng of fellow local authors, under the canopy, with descendants of Buddy Holly's backing band keeping us company.

YOU LIKE CRICKETS, LEO? I DON'T LIKE CRICKETS.

The honey-tasting competition was a hit. The local author's showcase drew about as much interest as the covered-rain gutter vendor.

Not much.

A smattering of interested people but nothing compared to the free honey-tasting extravaganza, which was clearly the event's biggest draw. Alas, free honey beat the printed word badly that day.

I felt Leo's pain. But it turned out that Leo was the prize at the bottom of the box for me.

He inspired me more than he will ever know. Leo, who put on his best button-up shirt, climbed into the backseat of his parent's minivan and shuttled his hopes and dreams to the Bee Cave Galleria along with yours truly that day.

I COULDN'T HELP BUT SYMPATHIZE WITH YOUNG LEO.

I made my way over to Leo, thinking about rejection, and perhaps giving him an attaboy for having the stones to put out his pair of books. I introduced myself and asked if he was an author.

"Yes, I am."

I told Leo if he was serious about writing for a living, I was living proof it was possible.

THAT'S WHEN THINGS GOT TWILIGHT-ZONEY WEIRD.'

I noticed a small printed piece on the corner of the card table along with Leo's books. It was a piece I'd written for Frost Bank in 2009 after the economy crumbled.

A passbook-shaped printed piece titled "What We Believe," extolling Frost's core values in the simplest of terms. Playful. Upbeat. Honest as the day is long.

WTF? How could a piece I'd written over a dozen years ago be sitting on Leo's table in the new author's tent at the Galleria Mall? I waited for Rod Serling to appear and for the Twilight Zone music to cue.

No dice.

I asked Leo where he'd got the Frost booklet from and he informed me that his parents had just signed up at the mall's Frost Bank location. It was a gift provided to all new customers.

"I wrote that piece!"

Leo looked at me like I was nuts until I pulled up my website on my phone and pointed to the same piece. Leo's parents wandered over and couldn't believe it themselves.

I had no idea that Frost was still giving the piece out to all its new customers.

The two books I gave away that day were for Leo, once he was old enough to look past a few F-bombs peppered throughout.

I believe in you, Leo. Keep writing. And thank you for making my day.

#theadvertisingsurvivalguide

Cameron Day's third book in The Advertising Survival Guide trilogy will launch this July 30th. He is available for pep talks, career counseling, speaking engagements, and writing assignments. Cameron is already mapping out books four and five and feels fortunate to have inspiration all around him in Austin, Texas. Leo, just being one fine example.

www.iamcameronday.com