It truly takes a team to write a book, and I want to take a short moment to thank the people who have stuck with me through this journey. So in no particular order…
To my husband – You came into this journey later than I wanted, but you’ve been a gift in your timing! Thank you for never being too cool to read my stories, for providing honest feedback, and for loving me and encouraging me through this whole process.
To my family – You have been my cheerleaders from the beginning, encouraging me never to give up. Designing, editing, marketing, praying . . . just being on my team. And to my new family, my husband and in-laws. You have adopted this journey with me in incredible ways, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have you as part of this road now.
To my friends who read this when it was still a hot mess – Adrienne, KyLea, Janell, Ashley, Erin, Mandy, and Alena, as well as my mom and mother-in-love. THANK YOU! For catching what I was no longer seeing and for believing in me and in these stories. Your support and your ability to talk about story with me truly means the world! And a special thank you to KyLea, who lived with me while I worked on all of my books. You were and continue to be a fun story partner, friend, and confidant. I can’t wait to see what stories we’ll chat about in the years to come.
To my editors – Charlene and Christian. Y’all worked a miracle getting me to publication. Thank you for your time, energy, and gentle critique that made this story so much better! You dig through the mess so I can make it a masterpiece. I couldn’t do this without you.
To my community – Christy, Juliana, Sheetal, Emily, and D’Ann, y’all put up with weird schedules and occasional meltdowns and continued to encourage me to do what God has called me to do. Thank you for being part of my story so I can write these stories. And to my new married community group – Jacob, Adrienne, Sam, Allison, Nick, and Brena. You have already been such a fun encouragement as I finished this new book. I’m excited to have y’all along for the ride.
To my My Book Therapy friends and mentors – Susie, Rachel, Lisa, Tari, Alena, Michelle, Mandy, Jeanne, Tracy, and Andrea. Your texts, emails, and time spent at retreats and conferences is invaluable. You were willing to dig in with me when I got stuck, cheer me on when I wanted to quit, and pray with me and for me as I completed this book. And you were just there to relate along the way in this journey of writing. Thank you, thank you for being my favorite writing team ever!
To my readers – THANK YOU for never giving up on me the last few years, for loving the Heart of a Warrior series, and for always asking for me. You drove me to finish this book, and I hope you enjoy!
To the Lord – Thank you for choosing to give me the gift of story, and thank you for being a God of second chances, of healing, hope, community, and making all things new. That’s truly what this story is about, and I wouldn’t have been able to write it without You.