by Cassia Leo
Ripped (Book 7)
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About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time re-watching Game of Thrones. When she’s not binge watching, she’s usually enjoying the Oregon rain with a cup of coffee and a book.
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Acknowledgments
for the Shoot for the Heart Series
I have a dark hobby of listening to true crime podcasts, my favorites being Thinking Sideways and True Crime Garage. Highly recommended. Almost every time I listen to a new case, it occurs to me that true life is really quite stranger and darker than fiction.
One particular case, where the father of the deceased went a bit off the rails in his quest for justice, made me wonder how I would react if that had happened to me. What would I do if, God forbid, my child’s life was taken by an unknown murderer? That hypothetical question was the inspiration for this story, especially Jack’s character.
This book started off with me wondering what losing a child to violence would be like. The story took many twists and turns I hadn’t expected. Ultimately, we have three characters who are so shattered beyond belief, they seem to break everything they touch. I look forward to sharing their journey of love, growth, and self-realization with you all in Seed and Bloom.
Without further ado, I’d like to extend my eternal gratitude to my beta readers: Paula Jackman, Cathy Archer, Kristin Shaw, Sarah Arndt, Erin Fisher, Heather Carver, Stacy Hahn, Carrie Raasch, Kara Schilling, Jill Bridgeman, Beverly Cindy, and Ashlee Crawford.
This series tested the limits of what my beta readers could accept. I shocked them, angered them, frustrated them, and maybe, hopefully, entertained them. Through it all, they never failed to keep me in check, to challenge me, and to reassure me, when necessary. I love you girls. Thank you for putting up with my insanity, and for reading this series (Dirt, in particular) what must have seemed like a billion times.
Thank you to Virginia Tesi Carey for proofreading and Red Adept Publishing for editing the first version of Dirt, before I decided to completely rewrite it.
A big thank you to Alyssa Garcia of Inkslinger PR for always keeping me up to date and making each launch go so much smoother than it would have without her.
Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who signed up to share this series! Thank you for taking the time to read the book, post your reviews, cheer me on, and share my books with your friends. You rock!
To the readers who have shared their excitement for the release of each book. I’m sorry for the cliffhangers. Well, not really. ;) Thank you from the bottom of my blackened heart.
Every book I write is a gamble. I never know whether a book will do well. I spend hundreds of hours working on pure faith. It’s frightening and exhilarating and, quite frankly, a bit insane.
Every time I release a book, every time I send a story out into the world, it feels like one of those dreams where you find yourself naked in public. I hate those dreams. I hate feeling so exposed. But I love writing. I love sharing these small glimpses into the dark, hidden parts of my soul. I’m privileged to be able to do this for a living.
Thank you to all the readers who make living my dream possible, even if sometimes the dream is a bit terrifying. Like when I decided to completely rewrite Dirt two weeks before ARCs went out. Yes, that really happened. *sigh*
To Arielle, for helping me develop the idea for this book and for enduring my helicopter mom years. Your intelligence, talent, and wit make me proud beyond words. Thank you for being the best daughter any parent could hope for.