In which I feel the need to express my gratitude...
May 11, 2012
Well, folks, we are 6 months out from the release date of The Anatomist’s Wife, and I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I have been through out this process of publishing. I have been privileged to work with so many wonderful people, and my friends and family have been so amazingly supportive, that I feel the need to express my gratitude. I will, of course, be given an Acknowledgement page at the beginning or end of my book to thank these people, but as there is only limited space for such a things, I wish to expand upon that here.
First off, because they are in the front of my thoughts at the moment, I must thank my writing group partners – Jackie Musser, who also happens to be my cousin; and my good friend Stacie Roth Miller. Both are tremendously talented writers in their own right, and gifted editors and critique partners. They have made me a better writer in so many ways, and encouraged me through the ups and downs of crafting each book. I am so grateful for their honest appraisals of my work, and for allowing me to worry and vent when needed. (Jackie is an Associate Editor at F+W Publications in Cincinnati, and has received numerous awards and nominations for her work. You can learn more about Stacie by following her incredibly heartfelt and encouraging blog, Beautiful Things.)
I also wish to thank my wonderful literary agent, Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. She has been ever so supportive of me from the very beginning, and I was so happy to discover how well we clicked when we first talked over the phone. She has a whole roster of extremely talented writers, but she always has the time for me and my questions, no matter how small or inconsequential they may seem. Her excitement for my writing and the future of my career, fuels my own, and I look forward to many, many more years of working with her.
My editor at Berkley Publishing is the charming and talented Michelle Vega. Upon landing my first publishing contract, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from my relationship with my editor, and I was nervous to speak with her and see how our personalities meshed. I was ever so happy when Michelle called me for the first time and I discovered how warm and kind she was. It was immediately apparent to me that we would work well together, and that has proved to be true in so many ways. I am so thankful for her amazing insight and keen eye in guiding me to make The Anatomist’s Wife even better, and appreciative of her energetic personality and her generosity with her time. I am so pleased to be able to work with her on the Lady Darby books.
There are many other people at Berkley I would like to thank, though I do not know them all by name. I’m grateful to the Copy Department for the wonderfully concise copy and the fantastic book title they came up with. I also must rave about the talents of designer Lesley Worrell and artist Larry Rostant, who crafted my gorgeous and intriguing cover. I have received so many compliments on it, and I want them to know how much I appreciate their expertise. They absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark. The cover is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
I also wish to thank the gracious and gifted authors who have so kindly agreed to endorse The Anatomist’s Wife: Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Enquiry; Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times bestselling author of One Was a Soldier; Carol K. Carr, author of the Madam of Espionage Series; and Judith Rock, author of the Charles du Luc Series. They kindly offered up their time and the backing of their names to my work, and I am forever grateful to them for it. I also want to thank Deanna, as well as the authors Erika Robuck, Lynn Sheene, and Jennie Bentley for so generously answering the questions I have put to them and offering me their guidance as I begin my trip down the hopefully long road of my publishing career. I only pray that I can someday pay forward their amazing benevolence to future newbie authors.
The other people I must thank are all of my friends and family for their tremendous love and support, and for their growing excitement as the publishing date fast approaches. They are all extremely special to me, and I treasure our shared history. They have made me who I am, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the influence of each and every one of them.
But I would be horribly remiss if I didn’t thank a few of these family and friends specifically…
I’m grateful to my parents for their steadfast love and guidance. Without the confidence they instilled in me I would never have found the courage to spread my wings and fly.
I’m obliged to my siblings - Adam, Christopher, Jeffery, Matthew, and Elizabeth - for helping to foster my imagination from the earliest days of childhood. I couldn’t have wished for better playmates. And I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of you. (Adam is an Art Teacher at Riverside Schools in DeGraff, OH. Christopher is an Attorney and Clerk for a Federal Judge in Florence, SC. Jeffery is a Music Teacher in Fort Wayne, IN. Matthew will be a junior in college in the fall studying Pre-Pharmacy. Elizabeth will be a sophomore at IPFW in the fall studying Speech and Language Pathology.)
And last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank my incredible husband, Shanon. For loving me and supporting me. For giving me the strength and courage when I had no more left. For kissing away the tears of my disappointments and twirling me around in his arms when I succeeded. For never giving up on me. And for showing me what true love is. (Shanon is the President and CEO of Brightstone Media, Inc, a web development and media company.) |
