Whenever I heard authors talk about co-writing, I always automatically dismissed it as ‘definitely not suitable for my personality’. Then, also true to character, on a whim I decided to ask Clare Lydon, who I barely knew back then but had always had a good feeling about, how she felt about co-writing. The rest is history. It was a long road, because the idea for co-writing was born more than a year ago, but in the end, it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever done.
Co-writing with the right author creates an addictive bubble of productivity and momentum. Of course, I had rough days, but turns out it’s much easier to weather them when your co-author is waiting for your next chapter. I’m very proud to say I didn’t miss a single day of scheduled first-draft writing (neither did Clare!), something that has never happened to me before.
I started my writing days of Once Upon a Princess with reading how the story had progressed while I was sleeping--a particularly magical and satisfying experience. Since I started working with my wife years ago, I’ve been very aware that when it comes to good collaborations, one plus one equals much more than two. Not only did I have double word counts at the end of each day, but there was also the cheerleading, the sharing of writerly woes, and just having a bit of a chat and a laugh.
All of this to thank my co-writer, Clare Lydon, from the bottom of my heart. I was so nervous before I started, you’d think I’d never written a book before in my life. But sharing a first draft with someone I instinctively knew I could trust has changed my process for the better and, perhaps, forever. Thanks for taking the leap with me, Clare!
I also owe a massive thank-you to my wife, Caroline, for being there when the nerves got the better of me and assuring me that I wasn’t as shitty as I thought I was during those moments. She also made the most perfect cover, came up with the title and the tagline, and did all the other behind-the-scenes work that mostly goes unnoticed.
Thank you, also, to Cheyenne Blue, our wise-cracking editor extraordinaire, who has worked on so many of my books now, she knows my style better than I do. Cheyenne is always someone I can count on but this time she went the extra mile when she agreed to our crazy schedule to get this book ready for release a few days after the royal wedding.
Thanking Clare and Cheyenne makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to work, almost 100% online, with people I can trust. Writerly camaraderie is not something I’m naturally good at, but they both make it so easy for me.
Thank you to beta-readers Carrie and Sophie. Sending a book off to a first reader (who I’m not married to) is always nerve-wracking, but you made it a joy.
Thank you also to my Launch Team for the continued enthusiasm, the last-minute typo-hunting, and the reviews that help my books so much.
Thank you to our proofreader Claire who has turned into an indispensable part of the intricate publication process puzzle. Thank you for stepping up in those last frantic days before release and making the book shine.
Of course, as always, thank you, Dear Reader! It’s inevitable that this book is a little different than what you usually read from me, but I hope the joy I experienced while co-writing it leapt off the page. I can already tell you that this will most definitely not be my last co-written book!