While it takes hundreds of solitary hours in front of a computer to write a book, it would never see the light of day without a team of remarkable people working very hard behind the scenes to make it happen. Starting with my always understanding agent, Rachelle Gardner, who is my writing champion; to Joel Miller and the incredibly supportive team at Thomas Nelson Publishers; publicist Jason Jones; and my brilliant book editor Jamie Chavez (who’s taught me more about citations than my college English teacher).
The team at our production company, Cooke Pictures: Mandy Sellick (who protects my writing schedule with the tenacity of a guard dog), Matthew Koppin, Chandra Hope, and Brad Knull, who are creating the kinds of media projects I’ve always dreamed about producing.
Thanks to my long-suffering wife, Kathleen, who, outside her million other roles, during the last six months helped lead our company, arranged our daughter’s wedding, launched a new media organization, and managed a massive kitchen remodel, which gave me the time to research and write. None of this would be on paper without her.
Most of all, thanks to everyone who’s ever come up to chat after one of my speaking engagements, book signings, or conferences. Your gracious questions and frustrations were the spark of this idea, and during my most difficult times at the keyboard, I would close my eyes, see your faces, and keep typing.