The Hope of Azure Springs is the second manuscript I’ve ever completed (someday I hope you’ll see the first). Writing this book was a strange experience for me. In the beginning, I flew through it. The words just jumped onto the page. I felt like I knew Em from the very start. I knew her and I loved her. I found myself rooting for her as I wrote her story. Everything about the writing experience was ideal. Every writer loves it when the story just tells itself, and that’s what this one was doing for me.
But then my son, who was four at the time, became very ill. One night I drove him to the hospital, and he was unresponsive and stiff. I was so afraid. After a lengthy hospital stay and weeks of tests, he was given the diagnosis of adrenoleukodystrophy. Our world changed that day. And though we were blessed to find out early enough to try treatments, it was daunting (and still is). For five months I didn’t open The Hope of Azure Springs. I couldn’t. It all felt so trivial in comparison to the battle my sweet boy was facing.
I remember when I finally opened my Word document—it felt strange and almost foreign. I’d been so removed from it. There was a level of guilt just knowing that as I typed, the future was uncertain. And yet, I’d felt called back to it. So much of Em and Caleb’s story was already written and I wanted to finish. I wanted something I could control, and writing their story was something I could take into my own hands. As I dove back in, I found Em’s experiences of grief and tragedy more relatable than they had been before. I cried with her and cheered her on. Em learns to do more than survive—she learns to really live despite hard times. I had to discover that again as I went through my own trial.
I’m happy to report that my son is doing well. His road is uncertain, but he, like Em, is a fighter. He’s one of my inspirations. In fact, his name is in this book along with all of his siblings’ names. I have the greatest kids (call me biased if you wish). I want to thank them for being patient with me as I wandered down this new path called writing. They’ve been my biggest fans from the start. I hope they know I am grateful and they are my world.
This book couldn’t have reached completion without the many people that read the early versions of it. Thank you, Mom, Anna, Stephanie, Heather, Leah, Amy, and anyone else I missed. Your feedback made Caleb and Em’s story possible. You caught loose ends and called me out when I got off base—I love you for it.
I’m beyond grateful for my agent, Emily Sylvan Kim, and my editor, Lonnie Hull DuPont. You both were incredibly patient and kind as I peppered you with questions and tried to make sense of the publishing world. I couldn’t have asked for better people to start this journey with. Everyone at Revell has been welcoming, helpful, and kind. They are amazing people. Good people.
My acknowledgments page would not be complete without thanking Tyler. He said to me one night, “You read so much, why don’t you write a book?” And never once has he doubted that I’d be able to do it. Thank you for encouraging me in all I do.
Writing this book has been a pleasure. I thank the good Lord for giving me this gift and allowing me to share it with you.
It’s my wish that this story touches other hearts like it touched mine as I wrote it.