Wow . . . first of all THANK YOU. Thank you to everyone that has had anything to do with making this book possible. The Universe, God for giving me LIFE, and the earth on which I stand for making it possible for me to even survive in this galaxy! Sorry I’m so dramatic, but this is me, lol, and these words written on this page note that I, too, was here. That I had a story, I had a human life, and there were many people who were a part of it and hopefully I was a real part of theirs too.
There are many people I would like to thank. I’d like to thank my mother, Sharon Palmer, for always believing in me and seeing in me what sometimes I’d forgotten, for loving me for me (but also keeping the bigger picture in the forefront of my eyesight), for never letting me forget the purpose of living and of telling your story. For reminding me of the responsibility we have to ourselves and others and the magnitude that our actions hold. I am thankful to my father, Lawrence Palmer, for showing me what it means to love and to be selfless and to be courageous. For showing me that bravery sometimes is silent and sometimes underappreciated, but that the act of doing good is doing good when no one is watching. I am thankful to my sister, Loreal Palmer, and her husband, Frank, for showing me what love can do. Seeing how they have allowed their love and love for their children transform them is quite magical. I am thankful to the TWINS Lawrence and Lawrencia! Thank you for giving me hope, strength, laughter, and a team. No matter how dark my road got, I could look to you two and know why I had to keep going, why I had to switch it up and keep going for something BETTER!
I am thankful to the Davis (my mom side) family for giving me attitude, sass, and the ability to stand up for myself! I’m thankful to the Palmer family for showing me what it means to stick together, to value family, and to always laugh no matter how hard times are. I want to give thanks to chi-townnnnnn aka ROBBINS, ILLINOIS, for making me a hustler, for showing me what the bottom was so I could create the blueprint to get to the top, and for showing me what wrongs were happening so I could have the drive to make shine a light on what was right. #MISSION.
Special thanks to North Star Way and Simon & Schuster for publishing and believing in this book. I honestly don’t know how to thank you—my publisher Michele Martin and the entire team, the North Star kids, for understanding my purpose for this book! You are the real deal.
I’m thankful to my agency—Jan Miller, CEO, probably the coolest lady you’ll ever meet! HAHAHAHA! And to my agent, Lacy Lynch. Damnnnnn Lacy, we did it!! You are the true definition of a ride or die. Through this entire process I have loved and appreciated you. I have been more than grateful to have you on my team. You have been more than a team player; you have been the MOTHERF*CKING MVP and THAT’S THE GAG. I really couldn’t have done this without you and I don’t tell lies. #LINCOLN.
Truly, I am grateful to the depths of my soul and so is Mildred Davis. For it is her to whom I dedicate this book. God bless.
Below I want to give specific thanks to all the kids, all the peeps, all the players who had a part in making this whole thing possible:
The editorial squad: Javen Benton, Destiny Modeste, Shatika Rembert, Josh Caldwell, Suzy Butin, and Chelsea Irvin—for all the hard work and emoji checking.
To Wes Smith, for stepping in and stepping up; Lauren Auslander and the team at PMK; and Doreen Wilcox for her early support.
And to the rest of the Simon & Schuster: Cindy Ratzlaff—Director of Brand Development; Diana Ventimiglia—Editor and supporter of my words, dreams, and visions; Hilary Mau—Sales Coordinator; Irene Kheradi—VP Executive Managing Editor, Production & Copy Editing; Amanda Mulholland—Assistant Managing Editor; Emma Powers—Managing Editorial Assistant; Hilda Koparanian—Senior Production Manager; Alexandre Su—Senior Production Editor; John Vairo—Associate Director, Art & Design, for using his amazing creativity to make me a FLY cover; Lisa Litwack—Senior Director, Art; Liz Psaltis—Director, Marketing Adult; Jean Anne Rose—Director, Publicity; Hazel-Ann Mayers—EVP & General Counsel, Simon & Schuster Legal; Jaime Putorti—Director, Interior Design; none of this happens without each and every one of you.