First and foremost, I have to thank my parents, Robert and Suzanne Kidwell, not only for the gift of life, but for instilling in me their love of Broadway musicals, college football, and books. Not necessarily in that order.
On our first “real” date, my husband, Bill, offered me the option of seeing a production of Damn Yankees or tickets to an Arkansas Razorbacks football game. Because I am a bit like the infamous Lola, I get what I want, so when I cooed, “Ooh, I love college football,” I got my man.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the late coach Pat Summitt for providing the inspiration for Kate Snyder. A paragon of grace under pressure and strength of character, Coach Summitt was a true champion in every sense of the word. I also have to thank football coach Bobby Petrino. I’d be a big ol’ liar if I said his departure from the Razorback football program under a cloud of scandal didn’t provide a bit of fodder when it came to dreaming up Danny McMillan’s trials and tribulations.
This book was truly a labor of love. I want to thank my agent, the always enthusiastic Sara Megibow, for falling for Kate and Danny as hard I did. I appreciate your unflagging support and your voracious appetite. You are a superstar!
To Cat Clyne, Laura Costello, Rachel Gilmer, and the entire Sourcebooks team, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have taken my vision for this book and these characters to the next level, and helped me step up my game as an author. It makes this former DuPage County resident proud to be published by a company founded and run by women, and based right in the center of my old stomping grounds. I’m so pleased to be a part of the Sourcebooks family!
A huge thank-you to my personal Dream Team. This book, and all my books, are written because Laurie, Christine, Michelle, Carol, and of all the Super Cool Party People believed in me from the start. Big thanks to the sparkling gems of the Diamond State Romance Authors, who keep me on track and semi-sane. A special shout-out to my long-lost-sister-separated-at-birth, Karen Booth, for hanging on to me as we ride this crazy train together.
Most importantly, I have to thank critique partner extraordinaire Julie Doner. Julie is the reason this book came to life. One night, I said, “I want to write a story with a heroine who is unapologetically kick-ass. Not the gun-toting, fancy martial arts kind of kick-ass. More the kind that comes from being the best at what she does and owning it.” And the rest was…Love Game.
Oh! And if anyone is curious about Kate’s shoe collection, know that it actually does exist, and it belongs to Julie Doner. She has promised to share pics in my Facebook reader group, so be sure to look for them!
Mostly, I thank you for picking up this book and reading my story. I appreciate you most of all.