So Much It Hurts

by Dawn, Melanie

  To my husband: Thank you for always supporting me. Thank you for being such a good sport about listening to me drone on and on about my story even though you have no interest whatsoever in romance novels. Thank you for your patience when I locked myself up in our bedroom all day to write. Thank you most of all, for three beautiful children, twelve amazing years, and your unconditional love! I love you!

  To my parents who have always been there for me: Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement throughout my life. Whether it was at the bowling alley, the Soap Box Derby hills, the recital stage, or watching from the stands while I cheered, you have always encouraged me to reach for the stars. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to attend college and get my degrees. Thank you for supporting me when I made the decision to stay home with my children. Thank you for being the best parents a girl could ask for, and the best grandparents to your grandchildren! No matter what, you have always been there for us. I love you both so much!

  Thank you to the ones in my life who inspired my characters for this story. I truly believe you were each placed in my life for a reason, and I’ll always be grateful for that. You have all touched my life in one way or another. I have been thoroughly blessed with love, friendship, and guidance through the years. While some of you might never cross my path again, the influence you had in my life will forever remain in my heart.

  To my early readers and supporters, D.B., A.T., A.M., C.S., D.S., S.R., S.B., B.H., L.O., S.R., and V.R.: Thank you for encouraging me to keep going! Your ideas and feedback were invaluable!

  To “My Girls”: Thank you for not telling me I was crazy to think I could publish a book! Thank you for your support and encouragement the past seven years! In one way or another you guys helped me get through the tough stages of the terrible-twos and potty training. You loved me when I was a sleep-deprived maniac, and encouraged me to get out for play dates even when sitting on the couch in my pajamas all day sounded more appealing. You have no idea how all those early morning mall walks and lunches in the food court got me through those rough days of having three little ones at home. You all deserve a medal of honor! But, for now, a tiny blurb in my acknowledgements section will have to do. I love you girls!

  To my “Indie Chixx”, my “Indie Gals”, and all my girls in between; you girls welcomed me into the Indie Author world with open arms: Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. I stepped into the Indie world, scared and alone. Thank you, JC Isabella, for encouraging me to take that first step and for always taking time to answer all those long elaborate messages I sent to you. Thank you, Nichele Reese, for welcoming me, introducing me to your circle of friends, giving me amazing feedback, and showing me the ropes! (And yes, I still use way too many exclamation points! Haha!) Thank you, Kim Karr, for believing in my story, taking a chance on me, and publishing my first chapter in the back of your debut novel. Thank you Nacole Stayton for reading my book and being huge encouragements to me when I was so close to hitting that delete button! I appreciate your friendship so much! Thank you, Kimi Flores, for being my personal cheerleader, with constant encouraging messages just to check up on me. I enjoyed every Vox conversation and every marathon chat session. I'm stockpiling beef jerky now for when I come to visit you. :) I can't wait to see the giraffes by the ocean! Love you bunches! Thank you for your friendship! To Elaine Breson, thank you for the many hours of chats that kept me smiling. Thank you for the beautiful photo mat and tote bag! To Erika Ashby, thank you for the many laughs and your hilarious sense of humor. Thanks for always being just one chat session away and for always answering my silly questions with such honesty. To JL Brooks thank you for those random, but strategically perfect, phone calls that talked me down off the “delete ledge.” Your support and encouragement are some of the reasons why So Much It Hurts is still here today. Thank you, Tania Hernandez, for making my amazingly beautiful and heartrending book trailer! To JL Mac, thank you so much for your adorable videos! Not only did they keep me in stitches, but they were also so incredibly helpful to newbies like me. To Lisa Harley, thank you for taking time to read my story and provide me with such wonderful feedback! I really appreciate all your encouragement! To Rebecca Shea, thank you for offering to meet me, a perfect stranger, on your business trip through town. I never imagined I would meet a total stranger and not stop talking until I said goodbye three hours later! I know I’ve found a lifelong friend in you! To Jennifer Wolfel, thank you for beta reading and giving me some great feedback! E.K. Blair, thank you for opening my eyes to something I hadn’t given much thought to. You may not even know it, but a single comment changed the course of So Much It Hurts for the better. To Beverley Hollowed, we still need that Skype date! Thank you for always being quick to encourage and keep me sane! Thank you, Megan Hand, Ana Zaun, Jaime Guerard, and Laura Howard, for the many late night conversations and for answering my infinite supply of questions. Thank you, Kelsie Leverich and Jessica Louise, for helping me with my blurb for my back cover of my paperback! You girls are amazing with words! Thank you also, Mel Ballew, whose friendship and feedback have been invaluable! I’m so incredibly grateful to you for publishing my first chapter in the back of your book and for combing through my manuscript with a fine toothed comb, pointing out all my overused words! The hours we’ve spent on the phone have meant more to me than you can imagine! Thank you to Jenn Besterman for swooping in to beta when I was feeling defeated! Your feedback was so helpful and encouraging as well! Thank you to Amanda Stone for always being there to reply to any questions I had. I appreciate all of your honest answers and feedback! To Anne Leigh, you were a new author on the scene who always popped in to ask me about my day or give me encouragement. Thank you for reading my manuscript and supporting me with such an amazing review! Thank you Lynetta Halat and Heather Gunter, my newest author friends who are just all-around awesome! I love you girls like the day is long!

  Thank you, Katie Mac of Indie Express, who spent hours supplying me with invaluable feedback over the phone and on the internet. I’m so thankful our paths crossed on Facebook, even though I feel certain we may have crossed paths another time in our lives while living in the same small town. ;) I’m so thankful to have found such a wonderful, talented group of writer friends!

  Thank you, Jim McLaurin, for your keen eyes and attention to detail. You helped me tremendously! Not only did you make loads of corrections, but you lifted my spirits as well. Even though my book is what you affectionately called a “girlie book,” I’ll never forget your kind words: “…a good tale is a good tale.” Thank you for your support and for your boost of confidence!

  Thank you to my final beta crew: Debi Barnes, Danielle Plane, Elle Wilson, Mindy Stickels, and Teri Page. You girls were my last minute betas who kept me motivated to perfect and polish my book. Your encouragement and support were phenomenal those final weeks before publishing! I look forward to working with you ladies in the future!

  Thank you to Brett Fabrizio, with the help of his sweet and beautiful bride, for making my book cover more gorgeous than I could ever imagine!

  Thank you to my amazing editor, Kathleen Lilley, who spent hours combing through my manuscript for every misplaced comma and grammatical error. I enjoyed working with you and spending time on the phone chatting about my book. Maybe, just maybe, I might have added a few things after you did my final edit. So if there are any mistakes, they’re not your fault. After all, I’m a tweakaholic who just can’t stop!

  Thank you, blogger Kim Box Person of Shh Mom’s Reading, for hosting my cover reveal for So Much It Hurts! Thank you for taking a chance on a newbie like me and helping to get my cover out to so many other bloggers. I appreciate your humor and all the hard work you put into blogging and reviewing! I hope you love my rockstar, Chris King! ;)

  Thank you, blogger Holly Malgieri of I Love Indie Books, for hosting my blog tour and for always being one click away with all my messages. Thank you for answering all my questions and for being patient with a newbie like me. I kno
w how much time and effort goes into planning a blog tour. I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me.

  Thank you to all the bloggers who have agreed to take part in my blog tour and who have agreed to read and review my book. I’m so thankful for everyone who has taken part in getting the word out about my book. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for indie authors! We appreciate you!

  Thank you, Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats, for making the interior of So Much It Hurts so incredibly stunning! You have a gift for creating beautiful masterpieces! Thank you for your friendship, also! I knew the moment we met at Book Bash that we would be great friends. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You are such a beautiful person, inside and out! I look forward to working with you in the future and hanging out with you at future book signings… you know, since you did volunteer be my assistant and all. ;)

  Last, but certainly not least, thank you so much to my children, whom I adore with every fiber of my being (most of the time). They had to put up with a lot of pizza and takeout, which I don’t think they minded much. They were very patient with me when I holed myself up in my bedroom writing with that ‘Mama’s got crazy eyes’ look. They didn’t tear the house up…too much. And, while sometimes they drive me BSC, I still love them more than life!!! (Psssst….if any of my kids ask, BSC stands for Banana Split Crazy) ;)

  Melanie Dawn is a thinker, a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic. When her head isn’t in the clouds, she spends her time as a jack of all trades to her family. Melanie resides in the hills of North Carolina with her husband, her three children, and her cat. She enjoys lazy summer afternoons cruising around the lake on the pontoon boat with her family.

  Melanie graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology and earned her MA in School Counseling from Appalachian State University. She spent the first six years after graduate school as a middle school counselor. Those were years she deems as some of the best years of her life. That is, until she had children of her own. The last seven years have been spent as a stay-at-home mom. She has learned some tough life lessons, like what the inner absorbent pellets of a diaper look like scattered in the washing machine. She has also learned the strength of the willpower of a two year old lacking a nap. Through it all, Melanie has learned how to roll with the punches and appreciate the time she has been able to spend at home with her children.

  Now that her last child has started Kindergarten, Melanie is ready to add a new chapter in her life. That chapter begins with her debut novel—So Much It Hurts.

  Let’s stay in touch:

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieDawn

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/MelanieDawn1

  Email: melaniedawnauthor@gmail.com

  Is There Life Out There by Reba McEntire

  I Can’t Do That Anymore by Faith Hill

  And Still by Reba McEntire

  Weak by SWV

  Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

  Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney

  Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

  I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace

  Bleed for You by Hidden in Plain View

  Everything by Lifehouse

  Hey Ya! by Outkast

  Iris by GooGoo Dolls

  Jumper by Third Eye Blind

  Numb by Linkin Park

  Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

  Mean by Taylor Swift

  She Will be Loved by Maroon 5

  U Got It Bad by Usher

  Crush by David Archuleta

  All I Want by Staind

  The Dance by Garth Brooks

  End of the Road by Boyz II Men

  Here Without You by 3 Doors Down

  You Found Me by The Fray

  Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

  You and Me by Lifehouse

  I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

  Collide by Howie Day

  You’re Beautiful by James Blunt

  What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts

  Fix You by Coldplay

  Bleed Together by The Autumn Offering

  Just Give Me a Reason by Pink

  Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks

  Blessed by Martina McBride

  What happens when you find the one person who completes you, and then life conspires against you? How do you set your grief and anguish aside? How do you pick up the shattered pieces, put those pieces back together again, and try to move on?

  Katie and Tripp met on the playground the first day of third grade when Tripp tried to rescue Katie from Zack, her twin brother. A lifelong friendship that later blossomed into love began that day.

  Broken beyond her own ability to repair, Katie boxes her grief up and attempts to raise her three girls the best she can on her own. As time slowly passes, Katie relives her times with Tripp while struggling most days to even get out of bed. She is reminded of him at every turn.

  Zack is Katie’s twin brother and was Tripp’s best friend. Having lost his own love, he dedicates himself to helping Katie put her life back together. Throw in a mother-in-law who torments at every turn and poor Katie can’t even find a chance to breathe, much less a desire to somehow search for tomorrow.

  Who is Tripp, you ask? Well, that is fairly easy to explain. Tripp was my best friend, my lover, my confidant, my soul mate. He was the salt to my pepper. He was the peanut butter to my chocolate. He gave me love and hope and joy. Together we created our three beautiful girls and together we looked at the world as ours to conquer. In short, he was my other half; the part that completed me.

  Tripp and I met in 1992. It was the first day of the new school year and we were starting the third grade. Mom had made me wear this frilly pink dress and these hideous pink and white ribbons in my hair. During recess, all the kids went out to the playground for recess. The tire swing was my favorite thing to play on. Tripp saw me fighting with a boy who was trying to take the tire swing from me and decided he would come rescue me. He had no idea that the boy he rescued me from was my twin brother Zack who was quite used to trading punches with me. He quickly learned that fact when I joined forces with Zack to ‘take that little twerp down’! From that day forward Zack, Tripp and I were inseparable. Like Tripp always said, “If you can’t beat them, join them!” He introduced himself to us as Channing, and we let him keep that name for a short while. The change from Channing to Tripp was just the beginning of the start of our new life together.