Beautiful Beginning(54)
books. We’re still writing with just as much silliness and passion as when
we started this adventure. We sincerely hope you love what comes next.
Our agent, Holly Root, had a sixth sense about Gallery’s Adam Wilson; we
think she just knew that he would be a perfect fit for these books, and for
us. We’ve said it in every book, and we’ll say it again: thanks to both
of you for being exactly who you are, because you’re exactly what we
needed. Holly, you’re hands-on whenever we need you, and hands-off when
you trust us to do our thing. Adam, you’ve made these books so much better
and distracted us from your plethora of margin notes by making them
hilarious (and spot-on). Look for the petal cupcakes heading your way. We
like you. We like you
a lot.
What Jen Bergstrom said to us in Orlando is true: Simon & Schuster’s
Gallery imprint works like a big family, and we’ve felt that from day one.
Thanks to Adam for bringing us to the table. And to Carolyn Reidy, Louise
Burke, Jen Bergstrom: thank you for taking us on with such investment and
enthusiasm. Thank you, Kristin Dwyer and Mary McCue in publicity, for your
tireless work on these six novels in only ten months (and also for just
being badass and irresistibly adorable and our preciouses). Thank you, Liz
Psaltis and Ellen Chan, for the amazing work on the marketing side. Thank
you, Carly Sommerstein, our production editor, who we’ve sent into the
trenches with our quick turnarounds. We’ve loved every single cover—thank
you, Lisa Litwack and John Vairo!—the Gallery art department really hit it
out of the park designing them. Thank you to our first copy editor for the
joke that will never stop being funny. And a preemptive thanks to whoever
volunteers to always ensure Adam eats the cupcake with the candy bone on
it. Yes, we’re twelve.
Lauren Suero, you’ve been so good to us and to Team Beautiful from day
one. Thank you for running our social media, following every bit of
Beautiful news, and keeping us buoyed in our text box. Jennifer Grant,
thank you for help on the promo side and with the website. What you’ve
done for us is seriously amazing. Thank you to every blogger who has
reviewed us, recced us, tweeted us, and talked about us. Your support means
so much!!
To our Beautiful pre-readers—Erin, Martha, Tonya, Myra, Tawna, Anne,
Kellie, Katy, and Gretchen—thank you for giving us your eyes, your time,
your thoughts. These books have been ridiculously fun for us to write, and
we hope they’ve been even a fraction as fun to read. We really do love it
when you fill our box with happy reactions and constructive criticism.
Hopefully your eyes aren’t tired, because we have lots more books to
come.
Of course, we want to thank the fandom, because it’s where we met and
where we remain. In the past nearly five years, you’ve become more than a
community we joined to read and write fanfic. Collectively, you have become
some of our closest friends and a group of women about whom we care very
deeply. Thanks for being excited for us and for sharing your own victories
with us along the way. We hope you feel pride in our happiest moments the
way we feel it in each of yours. We adore you all.
Our families and friends have listened to us speak about almost nothing
else for the past year, and not once have you been anything other than
excited and supportive. We’re grateful, and we’re lucky. Thanks for being
proud of us, and seeming to enjoy the ride as much as we have. You’re
either completely adorable in your excitement, or very good actors.
Husbands: we love you. We’ll do a better job telling you in person. Hell,
maybe we’ll even show you. (On that note, thanks for giving us such cute
and wonderful kiddos.)
To Christina, {insert sentimental quote here, really just an excuse to
smell your hair}
To Lo, {insert sappy, adoring thoughts here, including how I could watch
you make tabbed and color-coded spreadsheets all day}
Turn the page for a sneak peek of
Sweet Filthy Boy
Book One in the new
Wild Seasons series
from Christina Lauren
Coming June 3, 2014
Sweet Filthy Boy
Book One of the Wild Seasons series
? 2013 Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs
Ansel pulls the door open and breaks into an enormous smile, which slowly
fades as he sees I’ve come empty-handed, no suitcase. Nothing but a tiny
crossbody bag slung over my chest.
“I can’t come to France with you,” I start, looking up at him with wide
eyes. My pulse feels like a heavy drum in my throat. “But I didn’t want
to go home, either.”
He steps to the side to let me in and I drop my bag on the floor and turn
to watch him. There’s really only one reason I’m here, in this hotel
room, and I think we both know it. It’s easy to pretend to be the lover in