The Darkness Within (15 page)

Acknowledgment
s

As a lover of thrilling and suspenseful novels, I thought it was finally time to take the leap and actually write one. It helped that my mom wanted me to write one. My mother, Jenessa, is not a huge fan of romance, which is what all of my novels, until now, have an aspect of. The Darkness Within is my first novel without a romantic aspect in it, and I had so much fun writing it. So I have to say, “Thank you Mom for asking for a thriller! Without you, The Darkness Within wouldn’t have been written so soon.” Not only did she inspire me to write this novel, she also assisted with the naming process of Claire and Jasmine, and the appearance and characterization of Jasmine. Much like Jasmine, my mom has a fair skin complexion, vibrant red hair, and is absolutely beautiful inside and out. The bond between my mother and I helped me create such a strong bond between Claire and her mother. After all, writing from experience often creates the most realistic novels.

I would also like to thank my friends Erin Lee and Sara Schoen. I could not have written The Darkness Within without the encouragement and support from the two of them. Not only do these two keep me laughing at even the most inappropriate times from our constant group messaging, but they are also exemplary friends. They both are always ready to help when needed, including with the formatting of this novel, and with offering critiques on my cover design. Erin is also one of the main reasons for why I felt ready to take a shot at self-publishing. She is a great friend, and role model. Sara, like always, was there for me every step of the way. I was the guinea pig for her editorial skills and she did a fabulous job helping me bring Claire’s story to life. Much like with my other novels, and our co-written novels, she continues to push me to be the best writer I can be, and is always there to offer words of encouragement.  Without Sara, I would not be the writer that I am today, and for that I am thankful.

I would also like to thank all of the readers, authors, shows, and nightmares that helped me tap into the more twisted part of my mind in which this story was living in. Thank you to my idol, Tami Hoag, for showing me how a good crime thriller should be written. I aspire to be like you some day. A huge thank you to my friend Carissa Ann Lynch for always letting me read and review her novels, and for keeping me up late at night reading and afraid to turn out the light. Thank you to my boyfriend, Lonnie, for always answering my FaceTime calls in the middle of the night after I am tormented by one of my more horrifying nightmares. Thank you to my Uncle Rudy who acted as my informant on police protocol for this novel. Thank you to the creators of
Criminal Minds
and
The Following
for helping my love for this genre grow. Finally, last but not least, I would like to give a very special thanks to my beta readers, Kelsey M., Christopher M., Brooke M., Melissa S., Tana W., and Kiarra T. Without you, none of this would be possible.

About The Author

Taylor Henderson is a psychology major at the University of Mary Washington who was born and raised in Northern Virginia. She has been an adamant reader and writer since she was young, and has always found solace in the worlds and characters that other authors have brought to life in their works. Taylor plans to continue writing, and hopes to expand to different genres in the future.

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