Curse of the Sphinx (30 page)

My favorite painting is
Sleeper, Lost in Dreams
by James Christensen. The artwork is both breathtaking and inspiring. There is a quote with the piece that sums up exactly how I feel…

We are, each of us, angels with only one wing.

And we can only fly embracing each other.

—
LUCIANO DE CRESCENZO

I’m so grateful to my family: Jason, Jacob, Seth, and Anna. Each of you have made sacrifices and offered heaps of support. Words are inadequate for how much I love you.

Pete, Ashlyn, and Nathan. Fabulous art skills. Danke for making everything so pretty!

And more family: Mom, Dad, Nate, La, Abby, Liv, Veronica, Clark, Max, Jared, Hilary, Carter, Avery, Maia, Colby, Jayne, Sully, Luke, Kirs, EmJ, Joshua, Benjamin, Samantha, Reillee, Kayde, Matthew, Sam, Emily, Kincaid, Henry, Miles, Charlie, D.J., Angie, Amelia, Bryson, Eli, Mari, Bobby, Mabel, Hazel, Margo, Peter, Ashlyn, Piper, Janice, Elisa, Shawn, Devon, Dorian, Taylor, Sara, Curtis, Karen, Cindy, Marcus, Rachel, Ethan, Sophie, Bella, June, Mike, Maddie, Matthew, Ryan, Jilene, Tristin, Donelle, Wes, Jared, Mason, Emma, Rob, Chandra, Lydia, Gabriel, Maria, Dan, Savannah, Xander, Dave, and Rita. Family is the bestest thing, and I appreciate all of your support.

To my bestie pals: Alli, Cassy, and Katie. I’m not sure how you ever finished the original tome, but thank you. It made me believe that the story was worth working for.

And my critique partners: April, Angela, and Chris. Your words of encouragement and constructive criticism helped me find what was good, and what needed to be better. And Ethan, you were right about the first line!

To the KidLit group: It is amazing what you learn about yourself, and your writing, one chapter at a time. Thanks Jamie, Janet, Angela, Sue, April, Jess, Chris, Lindsey, Kelly, Deena, Amanda, and Bev. Each of you have helped my writing become a craft.

To Lindsey Alexander, editor extraordinaire: You helped me polish the words until the story shined. Thank you!

To Jen McConnell: Thanks for finding the hidden holes and filling them up. It was truly a blessing to have met you at UtopYA!

And to you, my readers: Thank you for helping my story to fly!

Raye Wagner grew up in Seattle, the second of eight children, and learned to escape chaos through the pages of fiction. As a youth, she read the likes of David Eddings, Leon Uris, and Jane Austen. Inspired by a fictional character, Raye pursued a career in nursing, and still practices part-time. She enjoys baking, puzzles, Tae Kwon Do, and the sound of waves lapping at the sand. She lives with her husband and three children in Middle Tennessee.

You can connect with Raye via Facebook, Twitter, or her website:
http://www.rayewagner.com