Thank You

 

** Saying thank you to everyone who has helped me a long the way is one of the things I've looked forward to the most. You have to write that book alone. But you truly can't make it through the process of publishing without friends and support.

Sometimes things get left out of the final copy. Them's the breaks in publishing. So today I'm extra grateful for my blog so I can post the acknowledgement pages here. Without further babble, here's me saying to all of you who walked along with me, Thank you.**

KD

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 

 

Over the six years it has taken to bring this book to life, I’ve added to this page and taken away many times. Writing a book, but more specifically, attempting to publish a book can teach you so many things about love, friendship, and devotion. To those who have endured this journey beside me, you’re my biggest cheerleaders and soft places to fall when I turned into an ugly-snot-crying mess. I love and thank you for always being ready with tissues and cookies.

To my husband, sons and White Waug, thank you for your willingness to share me with my “project”. It was astonishing to watch my characters and their stories develop around homework, laundry and life in general. You’re the most excellent four things life has ever given me.

An enormous thank you to the most supportive family a person could ask for, I’m so thankful to have you. To my parents, your encouragement and love is incredible and more than I deserve. To my sister, who’s a tenacious force of nature about all things and about how to get them done, simple thanks doesn’t seem like enough really. I love you, Sister! To my brother, for all his assistance, encouragement with all things computer related and the generous use of his name. Brother, you’re the best! And to Heather for her keen grammar eye, you saved my bacon! To my entire family thank y’all for always being happy for me even when you didn’t understand what the hell was going on. Without your love and support, this book would’ve never become a reality.

Grateful and humble thanks to everyone at Blue Tulip Publishing for giving my creation the chance to live and touch imaginations. Especially to Liza Tice for walking up to me at RT14 and enduring being my first ever in-person pitch. Thank you to Linnea for all the “friend” advice *wink wink*. You helped me so much through some really stressful days. Thanks go out to Tammy who read the very first draft with amazing grace and encouragement. She taught me my first writing lesson, that I use too many damn adjectives. Everyone who reads this book should write my editor Paula a thank you note because without her guidance this book wouldn’t be nearly as delightful to read.

Thank you to Lesley at shopenz.com and artist David Taylor for the magnificent bone carving that made the taniwha real for me way over here in Mississippi. And to Tarma.com for creating the perfect piece to show Hayden’s love for Neely.

Giant thank you’s to some of my favorite artists Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, John Mayer, Coldplay, Muse, Paramore, Train and Evanescence. Your music helped pull the story out of my head and get it onto the page when frustration tried to steal it from me.

There aren’t enough acknowledgement pages to create a thank you BIG enough for Carolyn Haines. Thank you for taking the hand of a stranger and leading her through the door. Your friendship has helped turn an average life into something magical. THANK YOU!!!! To Michelle Ladner who appeared in my life at exactly the right moment to save my sanity, and who stayed despite my obvious mental condition, to become one of the best pals I’ve ever had. Your guidance, but above all your friendship, is a God sent gift. And may the good lord love you for enduring one of the original revisions. A humble thank you to the best English teacher and mentor in the whole world, Mr. Arthur Broadhead because you’re still the very best WJH ever had! A big thank you to my favorite co-nit-picker and dear friend, Lesley Wood, for falling in love with Neely and Hayden despite having to reading that first draft. Aerodynamic thanks to Kirk for all things airplane. To An’gel, Dean, Carole, Terri, Gail, Cheryl, Betty, and all the naughty DG’s you guys are the BEST! Thank you for lifting me up and holding me there, but most of all, thank you for your friendship and secret giggles. To Marc, for helping me find that ray of light when the process had turned me into a weepy, grouchy pants and for not being afraid to tell me to get my head out of my arse. Super friend props to Jodi Vaughn for listening to me whine way longer than anyone one should have to and for helping me reach the end game. To my accountability partner and lover of all the cute animal pics, Marissa. You brightened my days and you rock!

Shock and awe thanks to Daniel Martine, and all the actors in his Master Acting Class, for showing me a side of my story that I never expected to see come to life and to the very adorable Graham Elwood for being that living vehicle.

Bushel loads of thanks go to writer pal, Karen Stivali and to Tiffany Reisz for being the reason we met. Without you, Karen, I might have folded and hid in a corner. Thank you for knowing when I needed to be poked with a stick and told to get off my duff and when I needed a hug. But most of all, thank you for being a friend when I needed one the most. Love you. Gigantic thanks go to my super sweetheart, favorite fan girl, best friend and lover of all the angsty words, my adorable, Melissa. My days would be dark without your friendship and heart.

Finally, to Sweetcake, for six years of the most unconditional love and loyalty any person could ask for from someone who couldn’t talk and walked on four legs. The heart you broke when you left me spilled this story onto the page. Without ever experiencing your kind of devotion, I wouldn’t know how to write about it. I miss you.©