It seems surreal to be able to write this page of the book. The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I would say, “It takes a village to get your debut novel published.” There are so many people whom God dropped in my life at the right time to help me, guide me, and push me to the next step. So many I want to thank.
My Lord and Savior—Thank You for the gift of writing, for leading me on this grand adventure, and most of all, for opening my eyes in a slow, gentle way to this dream of writing. I would never have guessed that thirty years ago when I said yes to a life in ministry, You would lead me here. I am continually amazed at how big You are.
My parents, Dave and Joyce Thompson—Thank you for teaching me at a young age to follow wherever God leads, and for your faithful support of my dream. Seriously, I think you have put in more than twenty thousand miles on the road to care for my kids so I could attend retreats and conferences. Who does that? You do. Because you’re awesome!
Scott Faris—Thank you for your support—emotionally, physically, financially—year after year as I have pursued this dream. And thank you for being not just my husband but my hero in every way. You make it easy for me to write swoon-worthy men. I love you.
Zachary, Danielle, and Joshua—Thank you for encouraging me to never give up. I have been pursuing this dream your entire lives, and I hope it helps you to remember to never give up even when things get hard. And never forget that God’s plan is always the best plan.
Andrea Nell—You are the best craft partner ever and one of my dearest friends. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your encouragement. And thank you for telling me when my scene “needs more work.” God truly blessed me with you.
My Book Therapy—This book would never have made publication without My Book Therapy, and that is not an exaggeration. The teaching, the books, the retreats—they made me the author I am.
Susan May Warren—You are my teacher, my mentor, and my friend, and I will never stop thanking God that I met you at that first ACFW. (It was the inciting incident of my writing journey.) You have taught me how to craft, write, and live a story worth telling. Thank you for always inspiring me to new heights.
Beth K. Vogt—God knew what He was doing when He paired us up. You have been His arms when I needed a hug and His foot when I needed a kick in the pants. I would never have made it here without your guidance, encouragement, and edits. Thank you!
The rest of the My Book Therapy staff—Rachel Hauck, you, my lady, are a force and an inspiration. Thank you for always encouraging me to look up. Lisa Jordan, you are a gift. Love working with you. Thank you for pushing me in my descriptions. Alena Tauriainen—thank you for always encouraging me in my writing and in my faith.
My agent, Wendy Lawton—Thank you for believing in me. And thank you for never giving up on this story even when I was ready to. You are a gift from God. And thank you to the entire Books & Such team—you are amazing.
My editor, Vicki Crumpton—Thank you for taking a chance on me and my story. I love how you have made my story stronger. I am so grateful!
The Revell team—Being part of this house is a dream come true. Each of you has been a joy to work with, and I’m thankful for how you have truly given to me and my story. I am so excited to be part of the family.
Wendy and Janette—From reading my rough drafts to delivering coffee when I was deep in editing, you are the best sisters in the world, and I am so thankful for all your encouragement and support from the very first story I wrote.
Libby, Hannah, Leah, Ellie, and Danielle—Thanks, girls, for lending your names to the series. It has been fun. And thank you, Hannah, for suggesting I use all your names. It was that suggestion that birthed the town of Heritage.
Jeanne Takenaka, Michelle Alkerson, Kariss Lynch, Tracy Joy Jones, Lindsay Harrel, Liz Johnson, Dawn Crandall, Kara Isaac, Kimberly Buckner, and so many more—Thank you for your encouragement, support, and friendship.
Kathy Cole, Gay Lorenz, ’Andra Lorenz, and Laurie Miller—Thank you for reading different versions of this and offering feedback. It truly made the story stronger.
Dan Runyon and his novel-writing class of 2010—Thank you for the time you spent editing my novel. This isn’t the same story, but I learned so much through that experience and this book is better because of that semester.
Mrs. Short—Thank you for making me write the ten-page creative writing story my senior year of high school. That assignment sparked something in me that God fanned to a flame ten years later.
Tim Foley—Thank you for what you do every day to save people and for answering my endless questions about fire. Any mistakes are mine.
And thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and cheered me on every step of the way—Wade, Claudia, Angela, Michelle, Elaine, Jeanie, Rufina, Evelyn, Janet, Rebekah, Amanda, Kristen, Cristi, Kerith, Dorene, Yvonne, the Faris family, and all the extended family of Thompsons and Kingsleys.
Like I said, it takes a village, and I am so thankful for each of you.