When Lady Evangeline Green first appeared on the page, it was in her sister’s book, Desperately Seeking Suzanna. Evie was only supposed to be the beautiful and overly perfect sister in the background of that book, but there was something about her strained efforts at perfection that spoke to me. I knew then that I had to write her story.
Have you ever attempted to be perfect to make someone happy?
I tried for more years than I care to admit to be perfect enough to please a few people in my life, but it was never enough. No matter what I did, I could not live down the mistakes I’d made years before. Then one day, after I’d allowed things to progress in this manner far too long, always listening to the reminders of my wrongs, always trying to be a bit more or a bit less to achieve some ideal version of myself to please them, I walked away. Although there were no vases of flowers upended at a ball, in the end I found the same strength that Evie did and faced down those who thought so little of me. It wasn’t until I was halfway through writing this book that I realized just how close to home this story was for me. So it’s only fitting that the acknowledgments should speak from my heart as well.
I write romance novels because I want to make readers smile. If you’ve ever met me in person, you know I’m a fan of smiling. Through these stories, I want to share love and happiness with the world, and like Ash, I want to be a purveyor of hope. If anyone has ever held it against you that you once had a summer of madness, a semester of insanity, or a year of complete lunacy, know that you are perfect just as you are. You, dear reader, are beautiful. Keep smiling, and thank you for reading.
Special thanks to: Mary Altman, Michelle Grajkowski, Mr. Alpha Male, my sweet little monkey, the Bad Girlz of badgirlzwrite.com, and the entire Sourcebooks team. Hugs to all!
E. Michels