The number 18 has been very good to me. I've written about this before, but I have a recent addition to my growing list of cool things that have happened on the 18th:
July 18: My daughter's birthday (1995)
October 18: My son's birthday (1998)
May 18: The day I finished my first book (2005)
June 18: The day I signed with my current agent (2007)
February 18: The day I sold Fatal Affair to Carina Press (2010)
My friend Ilana tells me that 18 is a lucky number in Hebrew. This from Wikipedia: The Hebrew word for "alive" is חי (chai), which has a numerical value of 18. Consequently, the custom has arisen in Jewish circles to give donations and monetary gifts in multiples of 18 as an expression of blessing for long life.
I've begun to look forward to the 18th of the month. You just never know what might happen! When I gave Ryan Sanderson the uniform number 18 in Line of Scrimmage, my son Jake, a rabid Patriots' fan, was very concerned that people might think I am a Peyton Manning fan. When I told him I was going to write about lucky 18 on my blog, he asked me to set the record straight once and for all. Ryan was number 18 because both of my kids were born on the 18th, NOT because of Peyton Manning. We live in Tom Brady country. So hopefully this will satisfy Jake's concerns. :-)
