White Stag (Permafrost #1)(95)

To Aron, who fanboyed about White Stag with me and who still hasn’t read the synopses of the remaining books in the series because the night is dark and full of spoilers. You’re the man, and you really rock those scarves.

Thanks to Eileen, Tiffany, and Christa for helping construct the best novel White Stag could be. Your insights and edits have truly made this book stand out, and I appreciate it more than you know. Thank you for your belief in White Stag and Soren and Janneke as you read, edited, formatted, and tackled my terrible grammar and typos.

Obviously, without Wednesday Books and Macmillan in general I wouldn’t be here. Thank you guys for deciding to take me and my story on!

Of course, I have to thank not only the wonderful Wattpad for having discovered me and my stories, but also the hundreds of thousands of readers who found my writing and loved it enough to make wonderful comments, fanart, and fanfiction about the story and my characters. Thank you for believing in Janneke and Soren and being hooked on their journey from start to finish. You guys are the reason I am here in the first place, and your love is the reason White Stag went from the internet to bookstores. Thank you for every comment, vote, read, private message, and email.

Thanks to the community of QueryTracker Forums, especially Sarah Ahiers, for critique partnering White Stag back when it was a baby rough draft; Samantha Joyce, for being my cheerleader, close friend, and confidante; and Mary Lindsey, for helping me during my rough spots, writing and otherwise. All of you are not only wonderful women but wonderful authors yourselves, and I’m happy to know you.

@Xenoclea of Wattpad, you were my Original Fan and have spent more than one night awake with me talking over the phone about writing, Soren, Janneke, Seppo, and the entire Permafrost world. Your endless enthusiasm and love have really helped me through a lot, and I’m so grateful to have you, not only as a fan but also as a friend. You are a very special, wonderful person.

I have a lot of demons, which is why I’m lucky to have Krys and Robin in my life to help me out. Both of you have brought so many positive changes to my life, and I hope to continue moving forward. Thank you for helping me when I was in the darkest places of my life.

Last but not least, thank you to my family:

Dad, RIP. I hope you’re watching me from heaven and are proud of the woman I turned out to be. I love you and I miss you and I hope that when the time comes and I’ve lived and grown old, we will be reunited in the afterlife. I wear your bandanas almost every day.

Mom, thank you for your support over the years. I know I wasn’t the easiest child (nor was I the easiest teenager or young adult), but you did the best you could and I really appreciate that. I love you so much. Thank you for supporting my dream.

Without you, Elaina, my twin, I definitely would not have become a writer in the first place. Thanks to the glorious war of sibling rivalry and your interest in writing, I also started writing. If I hadn’t been super jealous of you as a kid, I wouldn’t be getting published, and I love that now we can joke about it. You’re a cool sister, and hopefully one day you’ll get your own penguin.

Ross, you’re not just my close friend, you are like a brother to me, which means you are also my family. Thank you for supporting me, for our talks about writing, and for saving my life in the spring of ’17. You mean so much to me, and I hope the next Dresden Files book comes out soon so we can freak out over it. Until then, we’ll just have to keep obsessing over Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Chris, you are also part of this family, even if you haven’t been for very long. You’re cool and you make not only my mom happy, but also my sister and me, and that means a lot. I’m glad you and Nora are in our lives.

Finally, thanks to Daisy, Nora, Kimba, Kanu, Coconut, and Halle, my wonderful animals who brighten my life. Especially Kanu, my buddy who curled up on my lap at two in the morning while I was writing and who runs to me whenever he hears my voice. You’re the best cat anyone could ever have, and I love you so much.