When I was a little girl, I truly believed with all my heart that I was special.  Not just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill-special…but, really, really special.  I dreamed someone would discover me in the far corner of Midwest rural Iowa, take me somewhere exotic (like New York City or Hollywood) and make me famous.  There, I would rule the world with my talents and everyone would adore me just like the characters in the hundreds of books I read every year to escape. I was going to live in a big house with a maid and a butler where I would swim in a large, heart-shaped swimming pool in my basement.…