Since we waited until the final book to write our acknowledgments, this is going to be a lengthy one!
There are so many people who have been by our sides since the beginning and so many who have come into our lives recently that have had such an impact on our journey. We feel so blessed and fortunate to be in this incredible, tight-knit community of book lovers and readers! This series was born from the Checkmate Duet Series readers who begged and craved for more of Courtney’s wild Texas brothers. Once we got the idea in our heads, we couldn’t wait to dive into their stories. It’s so hard to believe it’s all over now!
First, we want to thank our readers who engage with us, share our excitement with each book update, tell their friends about our books, and more. Thanks for embracing our cowboys even if cowboys weren’t your “thing” at first. We LOVE interacting with you and keeping you updated and sharing what we’re currently working on! We love the engagement, even if it’s to tell you all about our love for Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
It takes a village to get a book out into the world, and we couldn’t do it without our amazing publicist, Danielle Sanchez. Huge thanks to all your hard work and the entire InkSlinger PR team! Cheers to that glass of wine at the end of the day!
Thank you to Brower Literary Agency for getting our boys on audio and working so hard to get our books distributed to other outlets and languages!
Thank you to our editor, Mitzi Carroll, and proofreader, Jenny Sims for polishing our words and working so hard under our deadlines. Your expertise and comments are what helps us get the best book out there for our readers, and we appreciate you both so much!
Thank you to our cover designer, Letitia from RBA Designs for working so closely with us to give us exactly what we envisioned for the Bishop Brothers covers, and photographer, Wander Aguiar for his beautiful photographs. We’re so blessed to work with such incredible talent!
Thank you to our beta readers—Jenny Rose, Erin Fehres, April Dovin, & Melissa Teo. You endure a million follow-up questions from us and point out errors we miss after spending hours staring at the screen, so thank you all for your hard work in helping us get the best possible book out there! You’re some of the best supporters we’ve ever had, and we appreciate y’all so so much!!
Thank you to our Kennedy Fox Books Reader Group who get excited with us on book news, share funny memes and cowboy videos, and have become another home to us!! The book world is a wonderful place!
Thank you to our InstaFam Team and the Bookstagram community. Instagram is our second family, and we can’t express how much we love the close-knit community there. Thank you for following us and sharing in our enthusiasm when we post new photos and updates. Thank you for sharing your pictures of our covers and posting reviews and being so excited for our books. We LOVE y’all so, so much!!
Thank you to all our author peers who continue to support us and inspire us daily. There are genuine people out there, and we’ve been fortunate to find some great ones in the author community!
Thank you to our husbands and family for being able to live with a writer who goes through insane working and sleeping schedules, takeout dinners, messy houses, mood swings, and not judging our 4-day old leggings. We work around the clock, glued to our laptops and cell phones, ready to jot down notes when an idea hits, and understanding how intense our brains work during these deadlines. The dedication of a writer needs the support of their loved ones, and having it from our family and loved ones mean so much to us!
Thank you to my friend, Allison Pierce for always being excited about the next book, even if there a billion babies in them.
That goes for April Dovin too, who curses me every time we knock a character up. What can I say? Our heroes love their women with round, swollen bellies… LOL! P.S. Thanks for being our April Devin in book 2 ;)
Melissa Teo, you’ve been stalking—er—fangirling since book 1 and we’re SO lucky to have you in our life. You’re also so ENERGETIC, and it gives us life when you love our books. Thank you for finding us way back in 2016 with Checkmate: This is War. You have a heart of gold, and we’re so fortunate to know you!
Erin Fehres, you’ve enter my life recently, and I’m so happy we’ve formed the kind of friendship that involves daily texts and discussions about books and…more. Thank you for bringing new readers into our world and loving our characters enough to share them with your bookstagram followers! You’re a sweet, funny, down to earth person I’m lucky to call a friend!
Jenny Rose, long-distance friendships can be hard, but with you, it never feels you’re too far out of my reach. I know I can text or FaceTime you at 3 AM and you’ll be up just like me. You’re truly a one-of-a-kind friend who’s always willing to listen and ready to give advice when I need it. You’re the third Kennedy Fox member, always so invested in our stories and eager to beta read and provide feedback. You might not always agree or love something, but you’re honest and willing to help work out a scene if needed. You’re a kind, caring, and sweet soul and we’re both truly blessed to have you in our lives.
Love always,
—Brooke & Lyra
P.S. How many Harry Potter references did you find in the Bishop Brothers series?