Cool moments since seeing last night that my book, Courage in Patience, a story of hope for those who have endured abuse, is now available for pre-order on Amazon:  

 

1. My husband and I looking at each other and just bursting out laughing at the same time, and him saying, "I'm so proud of you."

 

2. One of my co-workers at school e-mailing me to tell me she had ordered it, and that she expected me to autograph it for her.

 

3. A few other people at school sending me e-mails to congratulate me, and a fellow teacher coming up to me after school and high-fiving me, telling me he was really proud of me…then said he hadn't ordered it yet because there weren't any "Used" copies to buy yet, har-de-har-har.

 

4. "YESSSSSSSS!" That was the reaction of one of the three employees behind the counter at the local post office, who have sold me roll after roll of stamps as I worked on compiling a mass mailing to send to high school and public libraries in all fifty states. Since my book is up for sale on Amazon now, I mailed the 2000 or so envelopes today! When I walked in and set the first three trays of envelopes on the counter, she looked across the room at me and said, "YESSSSSSSS!" and smiled as if it was HER book that those mailers are about. I showed my friends at the post office the Kunati Catalog. "Page 27," I said, proudly. "That's ME!"

 

I have had a lot of support on my journey, and with respect to this book, I'd like to say THANK YOU to the following:  

Chris Crutcher  graciously allowed me to integrate elements of his book, Ironman , into my novel.

My friends, Amelia, Matt, Donna Shelton, C. Wolf Forrest , Cheryl Kaye Tardif, and K.C. Whittington,  read early drafts of  Courage in Patience and told me what they thought of it.

Alexis Moore, President of Survivors in Action, read Courage in Patience and reviewed it. You can see several reviews on my webpage.

My agent, Rachel Dowen, has, from the first moment, been a strong advocate for my work and made thoughtful suggestions, even before she was my agent.

Holly Desimone, a very brave woman and founder of Holly's Fight for Justice,  is the person who helped me set up my blog.

My editor, James McKinnon,  made insightful suggestions, and his critiques were spot-on.

Most of all I have to thank Daniel, Mandy, Alissa, Kristen, and Matt, for being my collective ROCK, and I also want to say thank you to my brother, Brett, who has been there and done that and lived to tell the story, too. Getting this far is an accomplishment for all of us, and I rejoice in the journey with all of you. I love you.