Anxious fifth graders buzzed all along the hallway in back of the school's cafeteria. They waited there turn on stage at Piedmont Elementary's first fifth grade author's reception held Thursday, Nov. 19. Fifth grade teacher Brandi Todd organized the event.

Todd wanted the kids to learn "that they can become an author, even from Piedmont. They can use this information and set a goal for themselves."

Piedmont resident and author Debby Rosser, writing under the pen name Debby Fields Jones, was the evening's guest author and speaker.

"My mother is a gifted artist," said Rosser. "She can paint like you wouldn't believe. And I can't even draw a stick figure."

Rosser's faith-based book "A Rose Among the Ashes" is based on a poem she'd written to her first husband, Eddie Jones, who passed away from cancer in 2005. It was published in 2007 by Pleasant Word Books, a division of WinePress Group Books.

Rosser spoke to the budding authors about what it means to use words creatively, or what she calls, "painting pictures with the authors pen."

She gave them some good advice, too.

"Write, write, and write some more," she said. "Write about what you know. I couldn't write a book about dinosaurs. I don't know anything about dinosaurs, but I knew about faith."

The children were asked to write in preparation for the event. Each made posters with poetry and prose stitched together into quilts. The assignment was to write a poem and a paper describing their favorite relative.

Fifth grader Ry Atkins wrote about his Granny.

"She's as crazy as a hyena," he said. The crowd roared with laughter. Ry went on to talk about his Granny's looks and personality and her hobbies. "She doesn't just sit around and knit," said Ry. "My Granny rocks this world. This is why I love her."

Ry was one of six children who read their work to the crowd. Will Bedwell, Cheyenne Law and Skylar Naugher all presented poems. Ry and classmates Tattum Denham and Payton McFry read about their favorite relative. Two more students, Grayce Goss and Shannon Meeks, took to the microphone to introduce the authors.

"I learned that it takes a while to get stuff together," Grayce said, speaking of the writing assignment. It took her about two weeks to prepare her poster. She learned a good bit from Rosser as well. "She gave a lot of information that I didn't know."

Rosser was first published in the Anniston Star in the late 1980's. She'd written a letter to Santa asking him for intangible gifts for Piedmont teachers and students. Seeing her words in print that first time was enough to jump-start her writing. She stressed that creative writing can be an important tool for children.

"It's an outlet for them to be able to record what's on their hearts," said Rosser.

And Rosser discovered something else about herself in the process of writing.

"I did inherit the artistic gift of my mother. Not in a painting you can hang on the wall, but in something you can hold in your hand. A book," she said.