Writing heals. When my son Kyle told me he was “hearing voices” during his senior year in high school, I took a scary, uncertain moment in my life and wrote through it. And I wasn’t alone—Kyle was beside me the entire time. I loved how Kyle summed up our work at a recent book signing: “We took something bad that happened and made something good out of it.” Agreed. Writing is healing.
Writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. By writing through the pain, uncertainty, and fear, Kyle and I were able to heal and move forward. Through writing, the bond I have with my adult son grew even stronger.
Writing takes guts. There wasn’t anything easy about writing A Divided Mind or The Divided Twin. Both stories emotionally turned me inside out. And again, I wasn’t alone. Kyle was in his senior year of college when we began writing The Divided Twin. In between classes and work, he wrote. His journal entries provided the starting point and set the tone. By delving into parts of his past, Kyle allowed me into his pain and straight into his soul. Kyle, I’ve never been more in awe. You are a natural, beautiful storyteller. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.
My publisher, Becky Johnson, recognized Kyle’s contribution and placed his name beside mine on the cover. I don’t think I’ve ever been more honored or proud. Thank you, Becky. Thank you for extending your graciousness, kindness, and professionalism to my son. Thank you for valuing him, his work, and our writing journey. Thank you for putting a face and a story behind mental illness and helping to break the stigma. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xoxo
This story was personal and intense, and no one understood that more than our editor, Kristin Scearce. Thank you for answering my questions—and let’s be real, there were a lot, yet you always alleviated my concerns. Because at the end of the day, this remains a work of fiction. Kyle and I wanted to write this story to its ultimate apex. We went for broke, and our editor was with us every step of the way. So were all our beta readers and extra eyes on this manuscript. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The Divided Twin was a collaborative process that extended to our beautifully, big blended family. Dylan Gullberg, Max Gullberg, Austin Thomas, Ciara Thomas, and Cooper Pigg—thank you for believing in this as much as we did.
A special thanks to Ciara, our videographer, book trailer creator, and tagline writer. CC, I love you berry, berry, triple berry much—always. Keep making art.
Super Cooper—you are my youngest and the first to read A Divided Mind. I’ll never forget when you phoned to tell me you had finished the book and were mad at me. Clearly, we need more of Jack in every book. I can’t wait to see what you think of The Divided Twin. I love you so much. You are the highlight to every day.
To the man who makes it possible for me to live the life of a writer, Ron Gullberg. My wonderfully bald, sexy man—you are my everything. And I promise someday we will have an empty nest. Until that happens, there’s no one I’d rather go through parenting, homework, and carpooling with than you. You make everything better—whether it’s making the kids mac n’cheese or movie nights in our bedroom, you bring lightness and joy into our lives. The best is yet to come.
And finally to our readers—thank you. Thank you for letting us into your lives and making us feel welcome there.
- Mary & Kyle