Author Kelly Jones was back on her home turf for the Thanksgiving weekend.
The Mentor native who now calls Texas home spent a few hours Saturday afternoon at Borders in Mentor doing one of her favorite things: connecting with her readers.
"The responsibility is so huge for a children's author," she said.
She compared it to asking parents, "Would you please leave me alone with your child?"
And the trained ophthalmology surgical nurse has spent the last 11 years earning the trust of families.
Her Adventure Tree series is geared toward readers up to about age 8, and her Nora books target a bit older reader, up to about age 13 or so.
But for Jones, there's aways got to be a message.
"My goal to is serve these kids," she said.
Nora, the title character of "Notorious Nora," is a bit like Jones herself. 
Jones began writing when, as a mom, she thought "wouldn't it be nice if books were encouraging" to youngsters.
It took a lot of hard work and perseverance - common themes in Jones' work - to turn that thought into a reality.
Nora is about "acceptance and perseverance," she said. "It's about believing in yourself and in what's right."
These days she spends two days a week working in an eye doctor's office, and the rest of the time working on her writing. She's a frequent speaker in schools and with Newspaper in Education groups.
It's all part of her overall plan.
"I try to keep my life in balance," she said.

Click here to listen to Jones talk about her work. Learn more about Jones and her works at www.theadventuretree.com.
- Tricia Ambrose