Deep and sincere thanks to everyone who helped bring this book to light. To my acquisitions editor Cate Prato for nurturing my writing and enthusiastically shepherding this project through all its various stages. To my developmental editor Brett Shanahan for making the work better with her keen eye and attention to detail. To all the Adams Media team for their support of me and this book. To my fellow writers and visual artists in my online community who inspire me to continue showing up for creativity. To my husband Mark for loving me through all of my quirks and for picking up the slack on deadline weeks. To Emily, Sarah, Janice, Jill, Jo, Jen, Andre, Eric and all the other friends and family who sent encouraging messages, texts, and emails as the book was being born. To Kate and Anika for not only being accomplished authors who inspire me, but also for being ones I can turn to for a writer’s perspective on the book-birthing process. To Ada and Bob, my parents, for a lifetime of support, without which I wouldn’t have the courage to follow all my creative whims. To my local coffee shops and public library for providing warm atmospheres and de facto office space throughout the writing journey. To the makers of the Coffitivity and Self Control apps for helping writers like me to focus. To the benevolent, mysterious, invisible forces of the universe that work behind the scenes and help guide my decisions so that everything lines up at the perfect time. Finally, to all the writers and readers who came before and will come after, because words connect us through time and space—and connection is key.