by Brea Brown
Betty kicks me under the table. I shift in my seat and hide my “ow” in, “Wow! That’s great!” Really, I’m silently cursing that I lost the bet Betty and I had going about how soon Nick and Heidi would be having their second child. I said Nick would make Heidi wait until Mossimo was at least a year old. I should have known better than to bet against Heidi. Damn it.
“Thanks, Natey!” Heidi says, patting her flat belly. “It’s still early, but we figured it was safe to tell family. We’re due next March.”
While Mom, Dad, and Betty offer their congratulations, Nick mouths across the table at me, “Help me! Vag rage!” causing me to nearly baptize my daughter with the drink of water I’ve taken.
My reaction wipes the grimace from my brother’s face, but he hides his laughter behind his fist.
“What’s so funny, you two?” Mom demands.
Nick and I answer together, “Nothing!” then dissolve into giggles like two teenage girls.
“Some things never change,” Dad remarks with a shake of his head as he returns his attention to the food on his plate.
Some things don’t. Then again, many things have. And for that, I’m grateful.
Acknowledgments
So many people to thank, so little space! But here we go! When a book takes as long as this one did to write and goes through so many permutations, there are a LOT of support people to thank.
As far as large groups are concerned, I need to thank the folks in ChickLitChat HQ for their much-needed input on choosing a title and the Chick Lit Goddesses and WIP Support Group for being there when I needed to cry, rage, despair, and threaten to give up writing forever. It helps to know people who don’t roll their eyes at my melodramatics, because they don’t have to live in the same house—or town—as me. You guys have done a wonderful job of saying, “There, there,” and holding my virtual hand through a lot of dark moments. I’m always glad to return the favor.
More specifically, Kathleen, Tracie, Laura, and Martha… thank you for pep talk after pep talk, valuable insight and input, and all-around girl-power camaraderie. You’ve seen me at my worst and still choose to be friends with me. I don’t know what that says about you (ha ha), but it tells me that I’m one lucky woman to have such lovely friends.
Which brings me to blurb-writing. In the past, I’ve employed the expert services of Ms. Francine LaSala (hire her; you won’t regret it), and I so longed for Francine’s expertise this time around, but I was resolved to do it myself. Like a big girl. I won’t bore you with all the depressing reasons. Well. The experience stank as much as I remembered. But with the help of fellow writers Martha Reynolds (author of the amazing Chocolate… trilogy and Bits of Broken Glass) and Tracie Banister (author of Blame It On the Fame and In Need of Therapy), I managed to do it without inflicting any self-harm. Martha instilled the confidence I needed and helped with word choice, while Tracie urged me to “chick lit” it up and provide readers with more info about the plot (I’m stingy and paranoid about spoilers). What resulted was something I was proud to attach to my book. Thanks, ladies! You’re the best! (Francine, expect a message from me for future books, though.)
I always have a great group of beta readers, and this time was no exception. However, the beta readers for Let’s Be Frank were exceptionally awesome. I asked them to read a 114,000-word book during the holidays and get back to me as soon as possible, and every single one of them did it. Not only that, but they returned with amazing comments, suggestions, and catches of some pretty epic mistakes that would have caused major embarrassment had they not been caught. Amy, Martha, Sharon, Hans, Bethany, Vickie, Laura… thank you! You made Nurse Nate a much better man and Let’s Be Frank a much better book.
They weren’t the first beta readers, though. I’d like to say a special thank you to Cindy and Heather for reading the very first-ever draft of this book, back when it wasn’t really this book but merely the concept that eventually became this book. Thank you for being brave enough to say, “This isn’t your best work,” and for forcing me to rethink the entire project. Several times. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have published a book that was “okay” but didn’t live up to the potential of the idea. That would have been really sad, I think. I would have always wondered how good it could have been, if only I’d worked a little (okay a LOT) harder at it. You’re Nurse Nate’s heroes. Oh, and mine, too.
Thanks also to my husband, who gave up his solitary early-mornings so I could work on this book before getting the kids up for school each day. I really enjoyed our quiet together-but-not-really-talking-to-each-other time as you watched ESPN before going to work and I sat with my earbuds in my ears and my nose against my laptop monitor and furiously typed draft after draft after draft of this infernal book. Thanks for listening to Nurse Nate stories. Thanks for giving me advice and insight into the male psyche, which I then invariably disregarded as not attractive enough for a chick lit audience. (Sorry, but we like our guys slightly… well… realistically unrealistic.) Thanks for not punching me all those times I whined and complained about never being finished with this book. I can only imagine how you felt the second time I said, “I have to start all over again, from scratch.” But you held up so well. You’re my rock. A lesser man would have taken the kids and run.
As for the rest of you who have stuck by me, you patient readers and friends and family members, thank you! I’d like to especially thank the insatiable fans of The Secret Keeper series for giving me the time away from TSK to write something different. I know you’re anxious for the next TSK installment, but I also hope you read Let’s Be Frank and decided it was worth waiting a little longer for the continuation of the series you love. Your unselfishness has been inspiring. And I promise to get to work in earnest on TSK VI as soon as possible. I already have a good start and many, many exciting ideas. Just a little more patience, please!
And while I’m at it, a preemptive thanks for the reviews and kind words you’ll have for Let’s Be Frank, not because it’s the best book ever written (as if!), but because you’re always so generous with your praise, and I know that will never change. Thank you!
About the Author
Brea Brown lives in Springfield, Missouri, with her three sons and her wonderful, understanding, overworked husband. Her previously-published books are:
The Secret Keeper
The Secret Keeper Confined
The Secret Keeper Up All Night
The Secret Keeper Holds On
The Secret Keeper Lets Go
The Secret Keeper Fulfilled
Daydreamer
Plain Jayne
Quiet, Please!
Coming in 2015:
Let’s Be Real (Nurse Nate Trilogy Book 2)
Out of My League (Underdog Trilogy Book 1)
When she’s not writing, she hangs out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/breabrownauthor) and dabbles in blogging (http://www.breabrown.com/thereluctantblogger). Please, take a minute to send her a message on Facebook, or you can contact her via email at http://www.breabrown.com.
