Midnight Ballerina (45 page)

I DON’T GET sappy often, if you know me personally, you’ll know that I’m a very laid back, quiet person. My husband is not. So when they say opposites attract, my husband and I are just that. He talks to everyone under the moon, has the biggest ego I’ve ever ran into, and makes a joke out of everything. Although, I roll my eyes at about ninety percent of what he says, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We met when we were still in high school, he was a senior visiting his dad from out of town, and I was a sophomore. So on top of being young and in love, we had to make a long distance relationship work. And we did. We’ve been together for thirteen years now and married for seven, along with adding three wonderful kids into the mix. My husband was the first person to encourage me to write, not telling me that I was completely crazy for wanting to try.

I’ve always been an avid reader and a creative thinker. When I went away to college I changed my major probably five different times, but I couldn’t find anything that fit. After having of our kids, I became a stay at home mom. While I love my kids, I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. I started jotting down ideas for storylines, but having only a tablet, the ideas didn’t go very far. Then I brought up the writing idea to my husband. I had a laptop in my hands the next day. He’s my biggest supporter, telling anyone and everyone, including some he shouldn’t, about the steamy romance books his wife writes. I use him often as a muse when writing my books—if you read something cocky—it was probably straight from his mouth.

So, while I can’t always find the right words to say out loud, or be able to tell him with a straight face and look him in the eyes, I want to thank him for always being there when I need him, listen to me when I complain, be even more excited about things then I get, and just for being him.

He is my happily ever after.

Alright, that’s enough sappiness from me!

Oh, and thank you to all of my family who does support me, they know who they are, and for those that don’t, well don’t come a knockin’.

Now onto the fabulous people that helped me throughout the process of writing Midnight Ballerina. To my beta readers; Julie Deaton, Danielle Plane, Stacia Newbill, Karen Derasmo, and Nicole Huffman. Words can’t express how much your help means and I’ll forever be grateful for any tidbit you throw my way. Thank you.

To Julie at JT Formatting, I’m currently typing away at this and it has yet to be formatted, but I already know that you’ll do an amazing job. Julie takes things an extra mile, making books the most beautiful they can be and I’m so glad I found her.

And last, but definitely not least, to Lea Burn—editor extraordinaire. I’ve worked with her on my last two books and she is by far the best of the best. Lea has a way to make everything sound so much better and she’s helped me so much along the way with Midnight Ballerina. Thanks Lea for everything that you do!

I would also like to thank the readers and bloggers, you’re what makes the reading world go around and writers wouldn’t be anywhere without you.