ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Introducing a new series to the world is fun, but frightening. The Sarah Blair series went outside my comfort zone of lawyers and judges and embraced unfamiliar concepts like using the kitchen as more than a pleasant room to walk through when going from the garage to the den. Consequently, many people helped me find my way on this journey. Their encouragement and knowledge made this series possible, but any errors are my own.

I am thankful to friends Fran and Lee Godchaux, T.K. Thorne, Susan Robinson Bauer, Judi Schulman-Miller, and Jean Felts for reading many different versions of the book, educating me on topics ranging from pace to the behavior of cats, and giving me the encouragement to bring Sarah Blair to life. Editors Barb Goffman and Lourdes Venard made me expand my thinking and the dimensions of Sarah and her friends and family. Elizabeth Hutchins, using her expertise as a trusts and estates attorney, jumped on the bandwagon to research and explain animal trusts and how Alabama law has changed in respect to them.

A special thanks to my agent, Dawn Dowdle, for her support and work on my behalf and to John Scognamiglio, my Kensington editor, who has the vision to see where the Sarah Blair mystery series and my writing career can go.

I began this book with a dedication to my husband, Joel. It is only fitting to conclude the acknowledgments with him because Joel has been my love and my cheerleader for the entire journey creating Sarah Blair.