Dear Reader,
Here we are, at the end of the 10th book in the Pink Bean series and (depending on when you’re reading this) at the end of this very strange year 2020.
For Caroline and me it was supposed to be a huge year of celebrations. We met in 2000 and have been together 20 years of which we’ve been married 10. We were going to travel and party and whatnot, but of course we didn’t do any of these things.
As I write this, at the height of the second lockdown in Belgium, even I, the mega-introvert and person who can go a very long time without social interactions, can’t wait to see people again. But these are the times we live in and this, too, will pass.
In the end, despite feeling decidedly bleurgh from time to time (a feeling we are all entitled to, no matter our circumstances), I do know I’m very lucky.
Even though we didn’t get to go on our dream holiday, my wife and I did celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, we just did it at home (with the real winner of the lock-down: our cat, Dolly Purrton.)
Being confined to the house has allowed me to write a lot this year and produce a few books that will mean the world to me forever. I was able to release my 30th published novel (A Breathless Place) to such warm reviews and maybe, without having to go so inward because of the lockdown, I might not have been able to write a book like that.
And, of course, two years after Pink Bean 9 was released, I finally started on Pink Bean 10! It has been a long time coming and I wanted it to be warm and sexy but relatively drama-free. I wanted it to celebrate friendships and the coziness of coffee shops and completely ignore the coronavirus. I just wanted you to be able to escape into a familiar world and have a good time. What better means to accomplish that than a return to the Pink Bean? To Sheryl and Kristin and Caitlin and Jo and Liz and Jess and all the others. It has certainly lifted my spirits to be able to do so.
In this difficult year, the return to the familiar mixed with two new characters (while taking rather large artistic liberties with my representation of how real-life therapists behave ;-0) is my gift to you. You reading this is your very kind gift to me, so: thank you very much!
As always, I must thank my wife, who has been by my side for twenty years now. We’ve had so many adventures during those two decades and I’m sure we’ll have many more. The amount of encouragement she has given me during the past twenty years, but especially during this last one, is immeasurable. (And how absolutely gorgeous are the new covers she made for the entire Pink Bean series?)
Then, there’s my friend and editor Cheyenne Blue, who first edited one of my books (At the Water’s Edge) in 2014, when I was still only a Cheyenne Blue fan-girl-from-a-distance. Six years down the line, she has edited 90% of my novels and I’m so grateful for the connection this has created between us. Cheyenne is such an amazing editor who always, so expertly, walks that fine line between being too harsh and too friendly. That our friendship has survived for so long is the truest testament to that.
Enormous gratitude to Claire Jarrett, who proofreads my books and who has also made detailed summaries of all Pink Bean books and character sheets for every single character. Without this, it would have been impossible for me to write Pink Bean 10 two years after Pink Bean 9 was released.
My trusted beta-reader, Carrie Camp, always gives me her gut instinct when first reading my books, which is something I’ve come to rely on to make the final version the best it can be. (Carrie also sent me a wonderful bottle of wine during lockdown, a much-appreciated act of friendship as well as a tasty introduction to Texan wine.)
Thank you, as always, to my Launch Team, of which some of the members have been on the team for years and years. Endless thanks for reading my books early and giving me your honest feedback.
As always—last but definitely not least!—thank you to you, the reader. Your continued support is what has allowed me to write and publish so many books over the years and it has also made 2020 bearable on quite a few levels.
A special shout-out to those of you who interact with me in my Facebook group and provide chuckles when I need them most (you can really never go wrong with a cat gif.)
To those of you who have emailed me to say you really enjoyed one of my books. To those of you who reached out after reading A Breathless Place to either ask whether I was doing okay (I was and am, but I understand the question) or to share your own story. Especially during these strange times, I have become a strong believer in sharing and getting a message from you always cheers me up.
I also explicitly want to thank those readers who simply read and never get in touch but make up the vast majority of my readership. Thank you so much for giving me the continued opportunity to do what I love the most: write about two women falling in love.
Thank you,
Harper xo