Behind These Hands

by Linda Vigen Phillips

  taylorstale.org to see how you can help.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank the two schools in Charlotte, NC that serve students with learning disabilities. The John Crosland School (formerly Dore Academy) and The Fletcher School each created a nurturing and supportive environment as long as possible for a student with Batten, the symptoms of which far exceeded both schools’ parameters.

  I am grateful for literary organizations such as Women’s National Book Association (WNBA), Charlotte Writers Club (CWC), and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) that create opportunities for authors to grow in their craft and network with agents, editors, and other writers.

  Thank you to my agent, Julia Kenny, who believes in my writing and worked with me to fine-tune this manuscript so it could find the best possible home.

  Special thanks to my Light Messages Team: Betty Turnbull, Managing Director, who has patiently responded to all my detailed questions; and especially my editor, Elizabeth Turnbull, who has made the process painless with expert guidance, keen insight, and healthy doses of encouragement.

  Thank you to Laura King Edwards, who willingly shared her family’s experience with Batten and lent all the technical and emotional support a fellow author could ask for. Taylor’s Tale, the foundation initiated by the King family, deserves huge credit for the funds it has raised to support invaluable research to fight rare diseases such as Batten.

  Thanks to the Hawkins family whose involvement with BDSRA (Batten Disease Support and Research Association) and courageous journey have inspired many families who have one or more child with the disease.

  Thank you once again to Carol Baldwin, the best writing buddy ever, for her early and professional critiquing and ongoing support across the miles and the blogosphere.

  Thanks to young readers who offered specific helps when called upon: Penelope Chirolde for educating an old author on the ins and outs of texting; Gray Marie Cox, Julian Daventry and Olivia Rollins for their honest first impressions of the cover during its development.

  Last but not least, thank you to my husband, Wendell, who carries my bookmarks in his coat pocket and graciously absorbs all the ups and downs of being married to a mercurial writer.

  About the Author

  Linda Vigen Phillips finds passion in creating realistic fiction told in verse, to offer hope to teens and their families who face mental or physical health challenges. Her debut novel, Crazy, depicts the struggles of a teenage girl in the 1960s coming to terms with her mother’s bipolar disorder. It earned numerous accolades, including Foreword Reviews lndieFab Book of the Year Finalist, the short-list for SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and an Honor book for the Paterson Prize for Books. Linda’s writing has been praised as “beautiful” and “emotionally impactful” (School Library Journal); her brave storylines “resonate with teens” (Booklist) and “speak to many, many readers” (San Francisco Book Review).

  Linda enjoys conducting writing workshops, spending time with her grandkids, and advocating for better mental health through her involvement with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She lives in Charlotte, NC, where she and her husband love to sit on the screened porch to watch the grass grow.

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