Writing a book is a surreal experience. One moment your mornings, evenings, and middles of the night are full of coffee and tea, relaxing sunrises and sunsets… sleep, and the next, they’re consumed with drafting and redrafting, highs and lows of pride and anxiety, elation and fear, and significantly more coffee. And then, not at all suddenly, you have a stack of paper and ink, and a niggling sense of accomplishment. But like all achievements, a village of encouraging people supported me, and to each of them I owe a humble and heartfelt thanks.
To Mrs. Amanda, Sarah, and Ms. Martha, who never once laughed, who believed in me, and who were my cheerleaders. To Chris, and our extended family, Dole, Buckovich, Lotze, and Koesler, who introduced me to the island I fell in love with. To Sara Quaranta, Jonathan Starke, Alan Pinck, and the folks at Killer Nashville, who saw something in my story and gave me the confidence to persist. And last, but certainly not least, to the wonderful community at Tule Publishing, especially my editor, Sinclair Sawhney who supported me and pushed me to be a better writer, and storyteller, and without whom this book would not be what it is today. Thank you.