When you and Lane took Mercy in and made her your own, you did that for me. Thank you for making my wish come true. I love you like a sister. And I’ll cherish your obsessive neatness, your annoying criticisms, and your helicopter parenting from afar. I won’t even mind your love of throw pillows. Because that’s what sisters do. We love each other despite our crazy differences.
Much love,
Candy
I smiled at the signature: Candy. She had finally embraced it. As I had reflected on the past year, I had come to realize that we all wanted to be unwrapped and seen and loved. When Candace and I had peeled back each other’s layers, we both found heartache and distrust and anger. But the point was that we cared enough to keep peeling. That was the nature of living.
Acknowledgements
Sometimes writing the acknowledgements is harder than writing the story. There are so many people I’m grateful for who have supported me, lifted me up, made my words clearer, bought my books, shared with their friends, and encouraged me to keep going. I thank God for planting the seed inside me, and my husband for helping me water it. No, Craig, this doesn’t put you on the same level as God, but I’m thankful He gave me you. No one else could put up with my midnight tapping on the keyboard and writing getaways like you do, especially with four kids always needing something or other. Thank you for being a single dad when I need to meet a word count.
Katie Loughnane will always be one of my absolute favorite people on earth, not just because of her editing brilliance, but because of the way she roots for me and strokes my tender author ego. Thank you for believing in me since book one and forever after. I still owe you my firstborn child for all you’ve done for me. Beth Wickington, I cringe to think what errors would slip through without your incredible eagle eye along with Elle Keck’s. Avon Books and I both are so lucky to have you both on our side. To my William Morrow counterpart Tessa Woodward, thank you for seeing my vision with each book and bringing it to life.
Behind every great publisher is a great marketing team. You know who you are, Sabah Khan, Ellie Pilcher, Kaitie Leary, and Brittani Hilles. All the articles and interviews and publicity and reader reviews you secured for me impressed me every time. All those five stars out there are because of you. You’re what gives a book wings to fly, and I’m grateful for all of your hard word and creative efforts.
My editor at Proofed to Perfection Editing Services always deserves a clap of praise, because they always get first look at my completed manuscript for a reason. Thank you for being the best editors in the biz!
A writer is like a tree, the fruit being the books, but the roots being family and friends who nourish us. Emily Sutton and Jessica Young, I don’t even need to put last names in there because you both know just how much you mean to me. I wouldn’t know how to write about the depths of friendship without Em showing me what it is for the past twenty-four years (how can it be that long – we’re still in our 20s, aren’t we?). You’re my favorite cheerleader, and you make that cheer outfit look good! Jess is a constant inspiration for how to grab a dream and hold on, especially when I see her passion for my dream as she’s demanding a bookstore manager to put my books out front and center. Thank you for being passionate for me when I’m too shy. I only hope every reader can find friends like mine.
To Mom who passed down her writer gene, Tim who inspired me at age ten to start writing, Dad who gave me his smarts, and Tracy who taught me how to find myself, thank you. To Diane who gave me her son, thank you for being the mother-in-law who loves me even when I drive your son crazy. To Michael and Lauren and Paul, I’m honored to share genes with you. To Angie, Missy, and Jamie – my sisters-in-law – I love you for not being Candace to my Harper. I’m blessed to have nice ones!
My children Talia, Kainen, Kiara, and Ariana, you guys keep Mommy on her toes. Thank you for the endless supply of kid anecdotes to include in my books. Every child character has a little bit of you guys in them, and one day when you’re old enough to read my books I’ll tell you which events are actual excerpts from our real lives!
I could go on and on, but your eyes will tucker out. Thank you to everyone who buys my books, demands them from their libraries, asks bookstores to put them front and center, shares posts on social media, and writes a book review. You are why I keep writing, and to you I owe my dream.
The Boy in the Mirror
A short story by my daughter, Talia C (age 9), based on Elise’s story in the book
Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack who lived in an old mansion. Now Jack was a curious little fellow who loved to explore. His mother, knowing his sense of adventure, encouraged him to explore the many rooms in the mansion, all except for one. With a stern warning she told him never to enter the attic, for it was forbidden. Well, Jack didn’t often listen to his mother,
