Though The Plan is my second novel, it’s actually the beginning of my writing journey. Many years ago, I wrote a screenplay and sent it to my now-agent, Sara Camilli. She signed me based on that screenplay, but suggested I turn it into a novel. Her words, “I love this story. I’m going to sell this story,” were the ones to which I held tight. The Plan is the novel based on that original work.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my first writing group members: Mary Summerall, Kelly Atkins, Holly Joplin, Lisa Matthews and Ramona Kelly. They were the ones (and only ones, until my agent) who read the original screenplay for The Plan and encouraged me to keep going—even when the task of completing an entire script seemed daunting. Without them, I would have never finished the screenplay and without the screenplay, I would have had nothing to send to an agent.
My current writing group is invaluable to me. The advice, critiques and encouragement I receive from JC Conklin and Amy Bates are nearly always spot on. There’ve been times when I realized I had a problem in the middle of my story and hoped no one else would notice. They, of course, did notice and pointed out the issues right away. My frustration at the situation always quickly dissipated, however, when they’d then proceed to present a solution on how I might mend what was broken. Without them, I might still be banging my head against the proverbial wall.
My gratitude goes to Kim Kremer, who has happily proofread my last two books and barely complained about their length.
A special thanks to Dr. Sally Grogono, who not only delivered all three of my children, but excitedly assisted me in plotting a character’s demise.
Special appreciation must be paid to Michael Kogan, whose expertise in prosthetics got the ball rolling on Callum’s disability and what would be possible or impossible tasks for a trilateral amputee, when I, initially, had no idea.
I absolutely could not have completed this novel without the irreplaceable help of Bryan and Marijo Cuerrier. In my search to find information on what it’s like to be a trilateral amputee, I came across videos on YouTube of Bryan and his journey. Through his website, I contacted him and, via email, he and his wife and I became great friends. To say I sent them a hundred emails with a thousand questions may be minimizing the amount. It was a thrill when they ultimately traveled from Canada to Texas and we were able to become friends in “real life,” too.
Though I’ve traveled to Ireland, I still needed help with the culture and language. Claire Ellenbogen was a lifesaver and it was wonderful to know that, no matter what question I had, she was a mere Facebook message away. And thank you to my Welsh penpal of over thirty years, Sonia Holmes, who, during only our second meeting in all these years, made the journey with me to Ireland and experienced the Cliffs of Moher alongside me.
I need to thank Zane and Charmaine Parker and the rest of those at Simon and Schuster for turning my books into actual novels—like fairy godmothers with magical wands.
Many thanks to Keith Saunders at Marion Designs. It never amazes me how I can explain to him what I imagine in a cover and he returns to me the precise vision in my head.
I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to know about building a website, a newsletter and creating a mailing list over the past few years and I wouldn’t have even known where to begin if not for Nichole Renée. The patience she exhibited toward her luddite friend was remarkable.
I know many believe Facebook and social media have weakened our personal connections with people, but I’m a believer in the complete opposite theory. The life of a writer is an isolating one and yet, each day perhaps—each hour—I correspond with a different friend who shares a word of encouragement or an anecdote or a personal story of their own. Those friendships (and all of you know who you are) make my time at my laptop considerably less lonely.
I am grateful to anyone who has ever attended one of my book signings or talks, whether they knew me or not, and said a kind word—or, at least, sat in the audience and appeared to be interested.
Immense thanks to my parents, Barbara and Richard Bennett, who not only encouraged my writing, but spent a whole lot of money for me to get that English degree.
My husband, Rob, deserves recognition for coming to terms with the fact that he is married to a woman who lives almost completely inside her own head and talks to people who aren’t really in our house. My children, Jordan, Bennett and Maclain, have shared me with a dozen or more characters over the past few years, and so, when they’ve each said to me, in their own way, “I’m so proud of you, Mom,” I’ve had a difficult time not shedding a tear.
Not all of us are blessed to find their one true passion. I’m one of the lucky ones. It was when I encountered this unstoppable force that I knew I was where I belong.
Finally, I don’t know what plan God has in store for my life, and I may not understand it until the very end, but I find peace in trusting that He does, indeed, have one.