Kimberla Lawson Roby expresses much love and sincere thanks to:
God, for being my strength and for making my writing career possible.
My husband, Will, for being the love of my life and for ALWAYS encouraging me to pursue my dreams. What would I do without you?
My brothers, Willie Stapleton, Jr., and Michael Stapleton, and the rest of my family for so much love and support.
My girls, my friends, my sisters: Lori Whitaker Thurman and Kelli Tunson Bullard for the conversations we have every day of every week. You both make a tremendous difference in my life, and I thank God for you. Peggy Hicks for our friendship and for all the great publicity work you’ve done for me over the years. Words cannot express how much I appreciate that. Janell Green for our many years of friendship, for having so much enthusiasm about my work and for always making me laugh. You are a gem. Victoria Christopher Murray for being such a wonderful friend and for all the moral support you give so genuinely. You are the best.
My author friends, E. Lynn Harris, Eric Jerome Dickey, Patricia Haley, Brenda Thomas, Shandra Hill, Yolanda Joe, Travis Hunter, Jacquelin Thomas, Eric E. Pete, Tracy Price-Thompson, and so many others.
My agent, Elaine Koster, for just being you. I couldn’t have chosen a more caring and hardworking person to represent my work, and I am totally indebted.
My amazing editor, Carolyn Marino, for being just that—amazing; her incredible assistant Jennifer Civiletto; my wonderful publisher, Michael Morrison; my very supportive publicity director, Debbie Stier, in-house publicist Diana Harrington Tynan, marketing director Lisa Gallagher, and their entire departments; the entire sales force and the rest of the HarperCollins/William Morrow family.
To my other publicist—the wonderful Tara Brown! Thanks for all your hard work.
To the developer of my web site, Pamela Walker Williams at Pageturner.net, for your spirit, compassion, and expertise.
All the radio and television hosts, every newspaper or magazine writer, every on-line organization or reviewer who continues to promote my work. Locally, I want to thank Mark Bonne at the Rockford Register Star, Steve Shannon and Stefani Troye at WZOK-FM, Michelle Chipalla at WREX-TV, Sean Lewis at WTVO, Andy Gannon & Eric Wilson at WIFR-TV, and Charlyne Blatcher Martin at Insight Communications.
Finally, I thank all of the bookstores nationwide who sell my books, the hundreds of book clubs that read and discuss them, and the thousands of individual readers who support each story I write. You truly make the ultimate difference, and for that, I am grateful.