Thank You

Well, it’s all a reality now! I have been working on Anyra since October of 2019. It began as a short story from a two-sentence prompt I found on Pinterest because I was bored one night. Now, after all this time, it’s going to be available for purchase. Anyone in the world could hold my writing in their hands. I’m still struggling to wrap my head around it! I cannot believe the journey I have been on to get Adelaide and her story to this point, and so many people have helped me along the way. This is for you, to express how deeply grateful I am for your support, encouragement, and tolerance of my ramblings as I write.

First and foremost, thank you to my wonderful husband, Lucas. You have been such a support and help through this entire journey. I started writing Anyra before we were even dating. I asked you to read sections of it then when we were just good friends. Now you have been an endless help. Your faith has never wavered, and I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. From reading all my drafts, listening as I ramble about characters and fictional goddesses, to building my website for me. Thank you, my love.

Thank you to Brandy, the first person to ever lay eyes on that first draft that was hardly 1,000 words long. You were the very first person to encourage me to keep going. It was a truly pivotal moment in my life when you finished reading, looked up at me, and said, “I need you to write more.” Thank you for being my editor and the first one to give me feedback and encouragement. Thank you to Camden, one of my very first readers. Your enthusiasm for Anyra, its world, and its characters has bolstered me to keep going. Thank you for your feedback, your encouragement, and your genuine excitement about this book.

Thank you to Taylor and all my fellow baristas that have seen me reading and writing, heard me talking about the work that I do outside of the coffee shop, and met me with a smile and a kind word. You truly mean so much to me, and I’m so grateful for you. Thank you to my roommates in college that listened to me rambling as I sorted out my plot, decided what to do with my characters, and generally seemed a bit out of it. You saw me in the thick of the writing process, and you still encouraged me.

Thank you to my family that has heard my reports of what I do. A vast majority of Anyra was written over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t around you for a lot of my process. Nevertheless, you still were excited to hear what I was working on and always encouraged me to follow my dreams. You have accepted me and loved me through everything, and I am so very grateful for you.

Thank you to the incredibly talented Neri Hurtado, my cover artist. Your work is absolutely incredible, and I am so proud to have your handiwork gracing the cover of this book and many more books to come. Your art is stunning, and I am so proud and grateful for what you made for me. I am so thankful for the pieces that fell into place that allowed me to meet you and have you not only as my illustrator, but my friend as well. I am so excited to see your career in art flourish.

And finally, thank you to the readers. To the ones that crave new worlds and exciting characters. To the people who find themselves in the pages of a book and feel at home. I hope you enjoy Anyra and the books I have planned to follow. You make my dream possible.

Thank you, my dear friends.