acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to thank my agent and friend for life, Christine Witthohn, who protects me like a junkyard dog. I so couldn’t do this without her.

To my editor, Terri Bischoff, for making it so easy and being a dream to work with. It means a lot.

To the many talented people at Midnight Ink who worked behind the scenes to make this book the best it could be. Donna Burch-Brown, who did an awesome job designing the book; Ellen Lawson, who designed the fantastic cover; and Connie Hill who made this book so much better with her editing.

To my critique partner, Joni Sauer-Folger, and to my beta readers, Chris Keniston and Sylvia Rochester. Thanks for making me a better writer.

To the Bunco Babes for always having my back and for keeping the smile on my face. To my writing friends for all the support and encouragement, especially The Plotting Princesses.

To Diane Wall Rush Versel, my friend and loyal reader, who guided me through a few of the legal procedures from a small-town view.

To all my fantastic readers out there, especially those who take the time to say hey once in a while. To my street team, led by the awesome Shelley Guisti. Y’all make me feel like a rock star.

And lastly, to my husband Dan and my wonderful kids and grandkids, Nicole, Dennis, Brody, Abby, Grayson, Caden, Ellie, and Alice. You show me the real meaning of unconditional love so that I can write about it.