FIRST AND foremost, I’d like to thank my daughter for helping me plot this mystery using only the lyrics to one of our favorite songs, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Nirvana, which is a cover of a much older song with a somewhat sordid history. Needless to say, we took a few liberties. I also credit my daughter for her consultation on teen slang, the ever-changing beast of social media, high school trends, and wicked burns. She’s also really good at telling me when I’m “trying too hard to be cool.” It’s hard to put a price on that kind of honesty.
Thank you to: my writing group Pen Ten for their feedback on a few pivotal scenes; Heather Whitaker for keeping our pens sharp and our wits sharper; Dr. J. for being so generous with loaning out her lake house to us starving artists in need of a place to hole up and write; and my wise readers Sarah, Sky, and Ashley, experts on the mystery genre, for their feedback on In the Pines.
Thank you to AngstyG for her brilliant cover artistry, to the Dreamspinner team for growing my readership, and to the community of readers who continue to support my work—you are what makes my writing world go ’round.
And finally, thank you to my darling husband and delightful son. These two, along with the little miss, keep me on the sunny side of life.