AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Wisps of an afterlife station first entered my mind on the soft chords and melancholy of a song I love during a flight to Los Angeles in 2006. That my words have found their way to printed page is the result of the work, support, dedication, and love of so many.

I must first thank Georgia McBride who, based on a clumsy pitch, gave me a chance and fell in love with the potential she found in the pages of Life, A.D. Your support and expertise have been incredible and inspiring. Thank you for taking a chance on an unpublished, unagented writer. I am honored to be part of the Month9Books family.

Courtney Koschel believed in my story from the first submission, offering praise and, ultimately, an offer of publication. Thank you for being a champion of Dez and her adventures.

I am blessed with an amazing, talented editor, Hallie Tibbetts. You have talked me down from fits of insecurity; inspired me to make my writing better, always better; you have endured countless emails; and, with a deft hand, crafted my story and my words into something so much stronger. Hopefully you’ll edit this, too, because that last sentence is pretty long.

It takes so many to make a book a reality. Each member of the Month9Books team has been a joy to work with. Thank you for putting your time and your talent into this book.

I would be remiss not to mention my fellow Month9Books authors. It is a privilege to be part of such a supportive group.

Dr. Laura McCullough at the University of Wisconsin–Stout generously offered her time so I could be certain the physics of Dez’s crash were correct. The accident scene reconstruction on your desk with the Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch cars I fished from my purse will always stick with me. Poor Big Bird.

The science mentioned in Life, A.D. is something I will, admittedly, never fully understand. Dr. Todd Zimmerman, also of the University of Wisconsin–Stout, patiently explained some of the basics to me so that I might try to wrap my mind around Bobby. Any errors in application or fact are my own.

Jennifer Wade, you are the queen of all things contractual and legal. Thank you for helping me through the complexities with a minimum of brain strain, and for your enthusiastic support.

Thank you to Dr. Michael Levy, again of University of Wisconsin–Stout (home of the author-helping trio!) for your advice and encouragement. You gave me the nudge I needed to brave the waters of the publishing world.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for raising a kid just weird enough to come up with this story. Mom, thank you for not thinking I was crazy to try. Dad, I wish you were here to see me published; the first copy is for you.

I am so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read my developing story along the way, and to my family and friends for your support. Special thanks to two of my beta readers, Ríoghnach Robinson and Crystal Waters. You gave me honest, thoughtful feedback that helped get my story in shape for submission. Ríoghnach, you are brilliant, intuitive, and an incredible talent. Crystal, you are fiercely wise, you are my first reader, you have supported me from the beginning, and you always speak from a place of love for both my characters and me. This never would have happened without you both.

I save my biggest thanks for my husband, John. Your unwavering support and belief in me have helped me find capability and strength I’d never dreamed possible. With you, I am brave. And thanks to the band for the song.