by C. C. Payne
8)If you’re ever standing in your front yard—or anywhere, really—wearing only your underpants, DO NOT SCREAM! Because anybody who isn’t looking will start.
9)More cakes and less mistakes. (Just do your best, Mom says.)
10)Punishing others by not allowing them to help you isn’t a good punishment—for them—it’s a great punishment for YOU.
11)Fix the problem, not the blame. (I learned this Japanese proverb from my karate teacher, who says, “Figuring out who to blame doesn’t solve the problem; figure out how to solve the problem instead.” He is very smart.)
Acknowledgments
To me, this book is (more) proof that if you give God your ashes, He’ll grow something beautiful in them; my heart overflows with joy and gratitude at all He has done in me, through me, and for me.
I remain grateful for and to my amazing family, friends, and colleagues. Words cannot adequately express my love and appreciation to my husband, Mark; my daughter, Laurel Grace; my niece, Airen; my sister, Sarah; and my parents (all of them), who generously read and reread for me, and to Dr. Susan Couzens, cold-reader, soothsayer, pray-er, and friend extraordinaire. In addition to reading for me repeatedly, all of these people believed in me so strongly that when my own belief was lagging, theirs carried me forward.
Likewise, my agent, Emily van Beek, also believed, and her confidence in me literally changed my life. I’m pretty sure that without Emily, all my novels would be confined to shoe boxes under my bed . . . well, except for the rare occasion when I might get one out to try trading it for something slightly more useful—like a bucket of chicken. Thank you, Emily, for not only finding a house for my books, but for finding a house that feels like home.
It was in Nancy Paulsen’s house that The Thing About Leftovers became the book it is today. Nancy knows when to ask questions, when to give answers, when to push forward, when to pull back, and when to let go—and she does it all while being encouraging! She also knows when to laugh—the importance of this quality cannot be overstated. Somehow, Nancy made me love writing even more—I didn’t know that was possible! I will always be grateful to Nancy and to everyone in her house who lent their time, talent, and skills to this book, including Sara LaFleur, Cindy Howle, Anne Heausler, Jeanine Henderson Murch, Irene Vandervoort, and Annie Ericsson.
A big thank-you to R. David Clark, who is always ready and willing to give me information about the legal system.
Thanks to my friend Jennifer Releford, who coined the phrase “Big Booty Judy,” who always makes me laugh, and who keeps me looking (relatively) presentable—by doing my hair.
Thanks to Alaine Carpenter, Jennifer Owen, and Katrina Williams, three of the best friends a book—and an author—could ever have.
Thanks to Fizzy Ramsey, P.A., who kindly agreed to share her first name with my main character.
Last but certainly not least, I thank YOU, my friend and reader, for taking this journey with Fizzy and me. We couldn’t do it without you. Really, we couldn’t. At all. So thank you, thank you, thank you!
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