by Cecily White
I sighed. Acquaintances. Possibly the ugliest word in existence. “This is going to blow major chunks.”
“It’s only a few months.”
“That’s supposed to make me hate it less?” With a long sigh, I snuggled deeper into his arms. “Well, we have until sunrise together, right? I mean, as long as it’s dark, we’re in the clear?”
He arched an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
Between us, the bond simmered in tiny spasms of light. Only this time, when I pulled my lips away, the glow didn’t fade.
“Jack,” I said, “how do you feel about Antarctica?”
Acknowledgments
“Once upon a time, in a town far muggier than this one…”
That was how the Angel Academy trilogy started a handful of years ago. Which was appropriate at the time, since I didn’t plan to write a book, let alone a trilogy. Really, I was just making stuff up to get my sweet, gorgeous daughter to go to sleep already.
And she did. But not before listening carefully, commenting on the plot, asking questions about the characters, giving suggestions on how various conflicts should resolve and, after an hour of procrastination on the sleep issue, finally noting, “Mommy, you should really write this down.”
So that’s what I did.
Hence, I owe the first debt of gratitude to my kiddos: Avery, for challenging me to be better than I thought I could, and Evan, for showing me there’s nothing in the world that makes a soul shimmer like unconditional love. You two turkeys are my North Star—my heart—and I will love you forever, around the universe and back again.
That said, I have to admit this book would still be sitting at the bottom of a virtual scrap pile without a few key people. Leigh Michaels, without you, I never would have believed I could be a writer. You’re an inspiration and a guidepost. C.J. Redwine, if you hadn’t harassed me to query, I’d still be sitting at my computer hopelessly web-stalking agents but not sending anything out. You are, in a word, awesome! Barb, Diana, and Kaye—my Tuesday Writers—you took my excess adverbs and gave me love and skills in return. I can’t thank you enough. Stephanie and Noelle—my saviors—you guys keep me sane. Seriously! Don’t ever stop! Michele and Lynda Gail, thank you both for making me look organized (yes, it could be much, much worse). And Jen, Sam, Sara, Emery, Angie, Tara, Sharon, and my sweet DoomsDaisies, thanks for keeping me connected. To everyone at Ozarks Romance Authors, MORWA, and Sleuths Ink, y’all are the most amazing, nurturing, and talented group of writers I’ve ever met. When I sit amongst you, I am humbled.
The core of my inspiration, as always, comes from my family: Roger and Allison, you drove me crazy throughout childhood. Thank you, because without y’all, I might have been really bored. (P.S. Robert and Jonathan, try not to kill each other and be nice to your mother.) Carolyn and Russell Cornelius, y’all are not only the bomb-diggity of parents, you are also ridiculously cool people. I’ll be forever in awe of your endurance and compassion, no matter what life throws at you. (And it’s thrown a lot!) So Mom, thanks for keeping my heart linked to New Orleans, and for sending me newspaper clippings and magazine articles over the years so I never forget where I’m from. And Dad, thanks for showing me what real heroes are made of. I love you madly. Snaps also go to my high school alma mater, Louise S. McGehee, where I learned how to question everything, laugh at adversity, and kill demons while wearing a school uniform. Noblesse Oblige, y’all!
Predictably, there are a whole lot of folks who worked their fingers to the bone (um, not literally…I hope) to make this book come alive. My fabulous agenting duo, Pam Van Hylckama Vlieg and Laurie McLean—there are no words for how grateful I am to you. Y’all believed in me and you made me believe in myself. (And Pam, for putting up with my mood swings, I owe you more chocolate than Belgium produces in a year.) Likewise, I must thank the awesomtastic, fabuloriffic people at Entangled Publishing. Heather, I don’t care what my mother says, I’m convinced we’re sisters. Jaime, you simply rock! And Liz… Holy crud, Liz! I think you might be the single most capable, dynamic, visionary, talented, beautiful, inspiring person I’ve ever met. I will never stop having a girl-crush on you. Thanks for the edits, the late night phone therapy, the awesome cover design, and for the million-bazillion other things you’ve done to make this project and this publishing house a success.
Everyone involved in this deserves an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas. Not that I’m in a position to offer such a thing…but just so you know, I know you deserve it!
Buckets of love and gratitude!
- Cecily White
About the Author
Cecily White, Psy.D. is a part-time university professor and full-time mom who loves messing with her characters’ lives. She can swear in Klingon, take down alien aggressors using only her mind (or chopsticks), and kill spiders without getting schmutz on her shirt. You can visit her at www.cecilywhite.com.
