ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, nothing happened until Jesus passed by. Thank you, Lord.
I don’t think there’s another activity out there that’s as private and yet as others-dependent as the writing and birthing of a book. A Season to Dance was often a lonely walk and a personal search, but it crossed the finish line because of the team God blessed me with.
A special thanks to my husband, Mike, and to my children, Logan and Grace. I wrote the first chapter of the story in January 2011, and more than six years of hard work later (and of rejections and rewrites!), they still love me and believe in me. Thank you for not letting me quit, for your love and patience, and for sacrificing all things normal for this dream of mine.
I want to thank my church family. I know what I know today because of Hillcrest Baptist Church. Thanks for supporting me with God’s truth and your love and prayers. A special thanks to the Homebuilders 1 Sunday school class and the five ladies who spent more than a year reading revised chapters and cheering me on through a very difficult rewrite. Sofia Green, Nickie Monroe, Savannah Odom, Nicole Rempel, and Ana Risner—I couldn’t have done this without you.
Thanks to the Bling! Romance/Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas team for making the dream come true, for publishing me so beautifully, and for marketing it so well. Thanks especially to Marisa Deshaies for making the offer and for working so hard to redeem the story for Christian readers. Meghan Gorecki, thanks for working with Marisa to edit the story and for holding my hand every time I panicked during developmental edits. You both were so patient, and the result was so worth it. I think I told you I spent two days crying after we finished because A Season to Dance is exactly the kind of book I spent thirty years dreaming I would write one day. Thank you, friends!
I also want to acknowledge my publicist, Jeane Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media. The day you said yes to A Season to Dance was the day I stopped worrying about whether or not the book would be noticed. It will be noticed.
I’m grateful to my agent, Les Stobbe, whose offer of representation first made the dream feel real, and to my mentor, Jeff Gerke, who taught me to write for an (accepting) audience of One. Jeff is also the Lexus of editors and polished the story before I showed it to agents and editors in 2014. His books on writing have shaped who I am as a writer, and we’ve been working together on my second manuscript already. Thank you, Jeff! Thank you also for introducing me to Nadine Brandes, who proofread the story before agents and editors looked at it. Thanks, Nadine! You made me look much better than I am.
Thanks to the American Christian Fiction Writers family. I love you all! I met my agent and my editor at ACFW 2014 and always learn a ton and meet new friends at every ACFW conference. What a joy to be part of such a wholesome group. Individuals might have an off day—I know I do—but as a group, we shine His light everywhere we go. May God keep us Christ-centered and full of love for each other, for our readers, and for our journeys. A special thanks to those who’ve been particularly kind to me. Maybe you remember what you did or said, maybe you don’t, but I will always remember: Theresa Alt, Amanda Bostic, Kate Breslin, Sara Ella, Penny Nadeau Haavig, Joyce Hart, Linnette Mullin, Tamela Hancock Murray, and Carrie Turansky—thank you.
Thanks also to the whole Writer’s Digest team. Subscribing to the magazine ten years ago was my first step toward becoming a novelist, and the publication taught me the basics about story, market, and the business. I’ve also read many WD books (The First 50 Pages is my favorite writing book in the world!), listened to several tutorials, and used the 2nd Draft Critique Service twice—once for an editorial review (thanks, Gloria Kempton!) and once for proofreading (thanks, Phyllis Cox!). The day I signed my first publishing contract—for this book—and shared some questions with my agent, he pointed me to a great article for debut authors. The publication? You guessed it—Writer’s Digest. Thanks for being there every step of the way!
Gloria Kempton later became my first writing coach. Thanks, Gloria! I still think of you when looking for balance between action scenes and sequels and when writing the first paragraph of every chapter. And, yes, there’s that quest thing—I wouldn’t dare write another questless draft after what you put me through. Thanks for your patience! You’re right. You’ve been right all along.
I want to take a quick moment to acknowledge a few agents and editors who came across my writing before I was ready and whose detailed feedback helped shape me and this debut. Julie Castiglia, Chelsea Gilmore, Erika Imranyi, Anita Mumm, and Katharine Sands—thank you so much. Erika, the in medias res opening fixed so many problems—I love it! Without it, I would have had to change the story. I didn’t want to change the story. The story was right. I just needed a frame that worked. You’re brilliant!
Kim Stotler was my first critique group leader (Barnes & Noble Writing Workshop of Columbus, Georgia). Thank you for your support and wisdom. I thank the whole group. Kim, you read the first A Season to Dance chapter when it was fresh out of my head and out of my printer. You read it out loud, said it could be the beginning of something good, and suggested I look into writers’ conferences. See what you started? Thanks!
Closer to home and to publication date—I owe a debt of gratitude to my first readers. Many braved less-than-stellar versions of the manuscript, helped me fix plot holes and character development problems, and still found encouraging things to say about the work. Anett Bearden, Alisha Coffey, Andrea Garber, Michelle Rapp Hall, Rachel Jenkins, Amber Johnson, Cyndi Apple Kvalevog, Carol McDonald, Stephanie McGregor, Miriam Mitchell, Vanessa Montgomery, Mildred Morgan, Esther Mott, and Mary Compton Smith—thank you so much.
A special thanks to Stephanie McGregor for also checking my Huntington’s disease research. Stephanie is part of our church family and is a young mom and Army wife. There’s a history of Huntington’s in her family, and she tested positive the summer of 2016. Your courage and faith inspire me daily. I’m in awe of you. Thanks for your help and for being you.
Thanks also to the amazing “dressing room team”—the team of beta readers who helped polish the final copy: April Root, Anne Prado, J.a. Marx, Jodie Hoklas, Katie Briggs, Kerry Johnson, Mary Compton Smith (round 2!), Paige Howard Newsom, Savannah Odom (round 2!), Theresa Alt, Valeria Hyer, and Voni Harris. I’m in awe of your talent.
Two quick notes on research and I’m done. I’ve danced in pre-professional companies all over the world but never made it into a paid company. Based on that experience, the life of friends who made it all the way, and research, I think I got the details of company life right. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
I will say the same about the German language. I grew up in New Hamburg, Brazil and lived in Germany twice, but my German is not very good. My son said it best a couple of years ago after I ordered three Burger King meals at the drive-thru of our neighborhood store in Idar-Oberstein: “We’ll see what we’ll get this time.” I know a little. I researched a lot. Any mistakes in the German language in A Season to Dance are mine.
And thank you, reader, for letting me share this story with you. I hope you get to see the Callaway Gardens’ azaleas in person one day—or the Rhine Valley with its vineyards and sunflowers, waters glistening as the sun sets. Maybe we’ll go together one day. Book tour!
Love,
Patricia