The Reason I Stay (46 page)
A lot happened during the seven months in which I wrote THE REASON I STAY, and through the good, the bad and the awful, I had the love and support of some really extraordinary people. Here they are:
Alex
, how did I get so lucky in life that I ended up married to you? You are my best friend, my biggest cheerleader and the inspiration for every male lead I write. Through your encouragement, guidance and enthusiasm I find the motivation to follow my passion; through your love I find the strength and courage to transcend my own flaws and limitations, and become the best version of myself. For that, I’ll be forever thankful to you. Thank you for teaching me all I know about the cosmos, logotherapy and Taoism, and for finding the quote I wanted. But above all, thanks for riding the VW bus with me and making this crazy ride interesting. I love you from January 1
st
to December 31
st
on the cosmic calendar, and I’ll continue to love you all through next year.
Jen
, OMK, where do I even begin? Sharing this book with you, in all its versions, titles and drafts, has been one of the most special and heartwarming experiences of my life. There’re no words that could ever explain what your critiques, edits, comic relief, advice, teasers and hands on help meant to me. More than that, there’re no words to explain what your friendship means to me. You’re the sister of my soul, the bestest best friend in the history of ever and the most amazing NLW I could dream of. There’s no one more deserving of a book dedication than you, SS. Thank you for always being there. I can’t wait until we’re neighbors and I get see you everyday. Love your face, guts and all the rest.
Anna
,
Stephenie
and
Anitra
, meeting you guys has definitely been one of the best perks of becoming an author. Thank you for all suggestions, cheesy lines, feedback and all the laughs during our group chats. You guys are amazing and I love all three of you to pieces.
Lauren
, you are undoubtedly the best and most understanding editor in the world. Writing and editing this book was eventful and stressful, but, as always, you made the process fun, relaxing and all-around awesome. Thank you so much for pushing me to use all of my senses and for making all my words polished and pretty.
Sarah
, I said it once and I’ll say it again: you’re a cover design genius. Also, I’m now convinced that you’re psychic—I told you nothing and you gave me exactly what I wanted. Thank you for creating a cover so full of pretty and for being such a joy to work with.
Emily
, thank you for beautifying this baby and giving me all the different fonts, graphics and whatnots I wanted. Also, thank you for going above and beyond to help me figure out this publishing business. You’re amazing!
Giselle
, thank you for being so competent in what you do and so fun to work with. I never thought the marketing side of this industry could be so enjoyable, but it is with you. Xpresso Blog Tours has a client for life!
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank
you
, my dear reader. I absolutely love what I do. Creating stories and making fictional people fall in love is a blast, but without your eyes to read it and your support to keep me going it wouldn’t be as much fun. So THANK YOU for giving me a reason to do what I love. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you enjoyed The Reason I Stay—it was written for you!
Hopeless dreamer, tattoo enthusiast, Disney addict and hoarder of nail polishes and vegan recipes. Patty lives with her husband, her crazy cat, two dogs and elderly bunny in a house frequently visited by wild birds and chipmunks.
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This ebook was designed and formatted by
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Copyright © 2014 by Patty Maximini
Cover Art: Copyright © 2014 by Sarah Hansen (Okay Creations)
Editing: Lauren McKellar
Formatting and Interior Design: EM Tippetts Book Designs
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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