Thank you, Holly West, for everything. I count the days until I can meet you in person and give you a hug. I’ve grown as a writer because of your awesomeness. Your ninja cutting skills are legendary, unearthing the story beneath the rubble. Thank you for answering all my e-mails. You don’t know how much that means to me. Here’s to more amazing editorial letters in the future.
This acknowledgments section wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t take the time to pay homage to the great Lauren Scobell. Caleb Parker wouldn’t have been drawn like one of the French girls if it wasn’t for you. I can hear those giggles all the way from Swoon HQ. Thank you for putting up with a deluge of private Twitter messages and e-mails. Brainstorming has become so much more fun because I know you’re there. Eternal gratitude. I owe you a hug as well.
Thank you to Liz Dresner for those amazeballs cover concepts. Like I mentioned in my blog post, I couldn’t have come up with any of them, and yet it seemed like you were reading my mind anyway. You, my friend, I must meet in person.
The editing of this novel couldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did without the help of the entire staff of Starbucks in both Paseo de Santa Rosa and Nuvali. You wonderful people kept me caffeinated and motivated. Your smiles and encouragements mean a lot, especially when I have camped out for days on end at one of your tables or comfy chairs. The white chocolate mocha latte or the mocha latte with soy and mint syrup (sounds disgusting but is actually really good) could not have tasted any sweeter without your expert barista hands. Thank you for giving this lowly author a writing refuge.
To all the incredible book bloggers, thank you for your friendship. Kai, the fact that you share my love for BL blows my mind. You are a wonderful person. Precious, you have been there from the very beginning. I am in your debt in more ways than one. Fay, you have to keep writing, girl. That dream is within reach. Camelle, stay strong; I am completely in awe of you. Jas, I know you will forever love Luka, but it makes me happy that you made room for Caleb, too. Louisse, you will always be the best super ninja penguin of them all.
I know I’m missing a lot more people. This is like an Oscar speech where you forget to thank your significant other. If I have left you out, it’s not because I have forgotten about you. It’s most likely my brain is mush. Leia, thank you for those movie dates and obsessing over TV shows. Your OTPs will live on forever. Meann, I miss you. When No Love Allowed eventually becomes a movie, I will make sure Chris Pine is in it if only so we can meet him in person and swoon together. Ron, I miss you, too! Your tweets and Tumblr reblogs never fail to make me laugh.
To Ate Loyce and Kuya Noel, thank you for saving me from burning out. Inviting me on coffee dates or afternoons hanging out with Zoey and Bruno at your house is worth more to me than my weight in gold. You listen. That is enough.
Lastly, I would like to thank God, the powers that be, the universe, whatever you would like to call that feeling of wonderment that comes from knowing there’s a force greater than us out there. This book wouldn’t have come to be without some sort of divine intervention. It was a spark in the dark that became a magnificent pyrotechnic show in the sky.