Writing a novel requires not only an author but also a team of encouragers and experts, as well as the patience of family and friends.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to Jeff and Tina Moyers, my brother and sister-in-law, for your encouragement through the years. And as RV campers and dwellers, thank you for offering your expertise and your ideas to make my scenes ring true.
Richard Mabry, MD—I always appreciate your willingness to assist when I have a medical crisis in a book! You’re always eager to answer my questions and even rewrite scenes if necessary.
Susan Sleeman—you’re such a treasure. A gem. A wealth of information. And you have so much patience with my many lengthy emails. You’ve been such a great friend to me personally, and to my writing career as a whole. I can’t thank you enough for being quick to answer my questions about technical issues, police procedures, or scenes in general.
Retired Undersheriff Roger Harrison—for answering my many questions about police and crime scene procedures in rural areas. I appreciate your patience with my “crazy imagination,” as you put it!
Wesley Harris (http://writecrimeright.blogspot.com)—for your input about every aspect of police procedures and crime scenes.
Judy Melinek, MD, forensic pathologist—for the time you took to detail what happens to a body when a bullet of a certain caliber enters. It’s important to know what characters will truly see when someone is shot—as opposed to what television and movies might show us.
Martin Roy Hill—once again, you’ve come to the rescue! Sure, a person can learn how to make a bomb on the internet, but it’s much more complicated than I could ever understand. Thank you for setting me on the right path.
Crime scene writers’ group—to the many technical voices within the crime scene writers’ group for always stepping up to answer my countless questions.
Tari Faris and Susan May Warren (Novel Academy)—for setting me straight on my characters and helping me understand the numerous layers of their dark-moment stories!
Sharon Hinck—there are no adequate words to describe how much your help has meant to me. You have such a deep love for the Lord and encourage my heart so much. Your eye for great writing and storytelling is exceptional. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, for not being afraid to tell me when I missed the mark and where the story didn’t work for you, and for offering suggestions in countless brainstorming emails.
Lynne Gentry—for your insights into the characters’ motivation. You have an eye for details no one else catches.
Lisa Harris—what a journey this has been! I don’t know what I would have done on this writing road without your encouragement.
Proofreader (and my amazing daughter) Rachel Goddard—for reading the manuscript for inconsistencies, weird sentence structures, and plot holes. I loved reading your comments that made me laugh so hard (freaky Leroy)! You have such a great sense of humor, which made working through your critique so much more fun. I love you!
Ellen Tarver—once again, you’ve helped me strengthen the story and showed me where you weren’t “buying it”! Your expertise has been invaluable.
The Revell team—Lonnie Hull DuPont, once again, thank you for believing in me. Amy Ballor, your patience with me and attention to details are exceptional. Karen Steele—you make my books sound so good. To the art department—thank you for the effort you put into the cover and interior designs. I love how you seem to get into an author’s head and know exactly the “look” that will convey the story best.
My agent, Steve Laube—I’m so glad you saw something in me eight years ago when you signed me. It has been an amazing ride!
My husband and children—Dan, I couldn’t have seen my dreams come true without your continued encouragement and patience with me as I traveled to conferences every year and wrote books instead of earning a decent income at a regular job. I love you! Rachel, Christopher, Jonathan, and Andrew—thank you for inspiring this crazy writing momma!
Jesus—it’s all about YOU.