Acknowledgements

These were my 16^th, 17^th, 18^th and 20^th published books. I never knew when I published my very first book – Run Away Charlotte – that I’d be here seven years later with this backlist of books. I’m still shocked I’m fulfilling a lifelong dream and will continue to do for the foreseeable future as more characters are talking and I can barely keep up. Getting Lily and Cedar and Amber and Mona to share their stories was the easy part, but it couldn’t have been done without the help of some truly awesome people I’m blessed to have in my life. Writing these thank yous never gets easier – NEVER – as I’m always afraid I’ll miss someone, or a category will be left out. And then I wonder, does anyone even read these? I know as an author, I do, but do readers?

Writing a book for the most part, is a solo endeavor, but I could not have this ready for you to read if not for the cheerleading and support of some magnificent people in my life.

First – my Shander family, whom you may know on my social media platforms as Hubs, The Teen, and Little Dude. I know these stories came out in the summer – a time when we go visit all the places and do all the things – except for this particular summer of 2020 while we dealt with a world-wide pandemic and various versions of lockdowns. Instead of being out and about, we sat in the shade of the umbrella in the backyard, and I wrote something akin to 100,000 words in six weeks. Thank you for giving me that space – my way of escaping from the reality and the sadness of not being able to take you anywhere. You read lots, you played more board games than ever before, while I wrote all the words. Looking back though, we still had fun, right? You even managed to write your own sci-fi adventures, which I loved reading.

To my parents and in-laws and extended family – Thank you for your support, endless cheerleading, and encouraging your friends and family to give my books a try. I will never be the pharmacist or nurse you think I maybe should’ve been, but I will promise to write about them someday. Writing is one of my happy places, and I’m so grateful you support that. You all rock! Much love.

To my wonderfully dedicated alpha reader – Mandy. Girl, where would I be without you? Without your constructive feedback and endless support, you’re more than just my author buddy and someone I look up to and adore. You’re my trusted friend, and I’m thrilled we’re in this business together. I want nothing but success for you, and I can’t wait to watch you tick off all your goals as complete and successful in the upcoming year. You deserve it all.

To my amazing critique partner- Josephine. How many times did I redo those opening chapters? LOL. After a few conversations, we figured out what was lacking and diminishing the sparkle, and I worked tirelessly to improve and add in the missing component. Without that, it’s just the story of a girl coming to her beach house, but with it, now we have many more layers to peel back to get to the heart of it. That makes the story much more interesting and compelling, and I couldn’t have done it without your encouragement and effort. Your constructive comments and feedback mean the world to me and I’m eternally grateful for all your help! Thank you.

To my beta readers Shauna, Pam, and Dawn. Thank you for your generous feedback, your corrections and your constructive criticism and praise. I appreciate your advice more than you know, and I’m so thankful you stepped up to read an unedited copy to make sure I was heading in the right direction. I’m beyond blessed for your kindness.

To my cover designer – Eleanor. The first time I saw that cover, I gasped, and couldn’t hit the reply button fast enough to claim it. Those two ARE Lily and Eric. They are gorgeous and the subtle changes you brought to the cover are perfect. My fans LOVE them along with Cedar’s, Amber’s and Mona’s – reflections of who they are, and the men who fall for them. They are simple gorgeous. I have five more covers for upcoming stories – can’t wait to see what you create.

To my editor – Irina. Thanks for your dedication to fixing my errors and highlighting the inconsistencies. I think I’m getting better, right? At least it’s not the same corrections every time – I’m always finding something new to mess up. HAHA. Thank you for fitting me in between your papers and dissertations. You’re going to do big things. Thanks for being a trusted friend to my niece as well, and keeping her on the right path.

If I missed you, it certainly wasn’t intentional. I know I couldn’t be where I am without the help of so many others. Thank you! And thank you for reading and making it all the way to the end. You all rock.