HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE to write a book? How many people do I know? I wish I could personally thank every person who has touched my life because, in some way, each of them has contributed to my writing. There are a few, however, I’d like to thank specifically.
My parents, Larry and Nancy Loudin, who each passed on their love-of-words gene so that I got a double dose. My great-aunt Bess who taught me all about God, sometimes with words. Grandma Burla who taught me you don’t have to be a blood relation to love someone a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. And my brothers, David and Daniel Loudin, who gave me SO much fodder for my stories.
And then there’s my agent, Wendy Lawton, who loved my book just as it was. My editors, David and Sarah Long, as well as Sharon Asmus, who were generous in their praise and delicate in their suggestions for improvement. And all the folks at Bethany House who walked me through this publication process. Thank goodness you know what you’re doing, ’cause I’m still figuring this out.
Thanks to the women of Christian fiction who have walked this road with me—sometimes briefly and sometimes mile after plodding (plotting?) mile. Laura Frantz, Heather Gilbert, Yvonne Lehman, Jennifer Major, Cindy Sproles, Ann Tatlock, and all of the Blue Ridge Writers.
Then there are the friends who don’t necessarily write, but who gather around me to pray, support, and love on me. Meg Barbour, Christy Bennett, Jeannie Burns, Madeline Dillingham, Suzi Gibbs, Lisa McCallister, Carla McLendon, Jessie Ogle, Judy Ross, Rhonda Turpin, Buffy White, and Joan Wilson.
Penultimate thanks (isn’t that the best word?) go to the man who has been there every step of the way. Thanks for being patient—mostly—with the hours of writing, rewriting, social media, conferences, and so on. I literally couldn’t have done this without my husband, Jim Thomas, cheering me on. God knew what He was doing that night He rained out a football game.
Finally, ultimate thanks go to God. I don’t know why He made me a writer, but He did, and I know His plan is perfect. I thank Him for the gift of words and for the patient endurance to write them.