‘Tis the season to reflect on what you are thankful for. So I thought I would kick off Thanksgiving week with a post solely dedicated to the people that helped make this whole dream possible!
Here we go…
I’d probably be headed for divorce if I didn’t start with a HUGE thanks to my husband, Bryan. He not only supports me, but also encourages and believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. None of this would have been possible without his understanding and his sacrifice.
If Bryan is my emotional support system, than Amanda Zabski is my creative one. She has worked tirelessly with me, reading my frantic, nonsensical emails containing plot ideas and character twists, answering texts about whether or not I should kill someone off, and managing to keep a straight face at our meetings when I jump out of my chair with the exuberance of a child, screaming about an “Aha!” moment that’s just hit me. And yes, I’ve literally done that.
Then there are my cheerleaders, Virginia Nicholas and Eryn Bagley. They are the friends who wait with baited breath for me to finish the next book so they can devour it and give me feedback, good or bad. I love them for not being “yes men”, and truly sharing their thoughts with me. I have many other friends and family members who take time out of their schedules to indulge my creative-dabblings, but I couldn’t possibly list you all off. You know who you are.
I’ve gotten to meet some amazing people along the way, but I’ve also gotten to know some people better. I’ve known Jen Krom long before I started on this journey, but she has now taken up the role of grammar nazi in my life, making sure I’ve literally crossed my t’s and dotted my i’s. If you ever saw a rough draft of my novels, you’d be appalled. It’s not that I don’t know how to properly punctuate a sentence, it’s that I don’t care when I’m writing it, and Jen is admittedly OCD about grammar. If it makes her happy, she can have it!
Dean Whitlock has been an invaluable source of information on the business, already having been published himself. He took time to meet with me at the request of a friend, and he’s been an asset ever since.
People that know me know that I can be rather particular, so when Jamie Rosen took me on as a client to do the cover art for CAGED, I’m not sure he knew what he was getting himself into. Luckily, he’s been patient and open to all my ideas, and fully delivered on the covers I had envisioned. Two covers down…three to go!
I’m sure I’ll kick myself right after I post this because I have managed to forget someone else who was invaluable in this process, but that’s the glory of a blog…I can always go back and edit it. Until then, thanks to everyone mentioned. Cliche though it may be, I really couldn’t have done it without you.
right back atcha, babe! thank YOU for unleashing my masochistic grammarian side!
You kick ass Amber! Thanks for letting me in on these beasts in the early stages! I had a lot of fun reading them and am looking forward to the officially edited and published versions! I will support your habit lady – you can count on it!
And a glorious “thank you” to you Ms. Amber for sharing this road with us all. You have made, and continue to make, each and every one of us very proud to have you in our lives!