ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Jesus. You got jokes, but I love You anyway.

To my wonderful family: Brian, I still hold, after twenty-six years of marriage, that you are the best husband God could have picked for me. Your brainstorming skills are unmatched. Thank you for putting up with your wife while she deals with the characters in her head. To my children—Jazmyne, Dartanyon, and Emmanuel. You are three of the funniest, most creative, and weirdest people I know. And I should know, ‘cause I raised you. Thank you for understanding that being a writer makes me weird. Love you all.

To Dyara Henderson, thank you so much for mothering me. It’s not meddling. It’s love. Thank you to my agent, Tamala Hancock Murray. Thank you, Monique Slater, for sharing your real estate knowledge.

Thank you to all my readers for letting me tell you stories. Stick around. I have more.