“You may not know now, but I hope that during these next few years, you discover what your true passion is. College is a time of learning and growth for all of you. So here’s my advice:
“Face your fears and overcome them. Become the best person you can be as you grow into your impending adulthood. Find what drives you and hone those skills. Practice them and perfect them, so that you can leave this world in a better state than you found it.
“Be thankful for each day you’re granted on this earth. Form friendships. Find love. Feel passion. Embrace destiny. Your destiny. Because at the end of these four years, you will most likely not be the same person you are at this moment. It’s up to you to decide who you will be. What you will do. And how you will do it. So, choose wisely.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to speak at this year’s Freshman Orientation. And although I’m still wondering if this isn’t Dr. Palmer’s payback for missing my own, I’m extremely honored to be the first to introduce you to this campus. I look forward to witnessing the indelible marks that you will most certainly leave upon this world as each and every one of you complete your own separate journeys here. So, with that being said…
“Congratulations, Graduating Class of 2018. Good luck to all of you, and of course, welcome to Titan University.”
There are several subject matters in this book that sadly affect millions of people all around the world. If you, or someone you know, is battling depression, dealing with the aspect of being bullied, plagued with thoughts of suicide, or in need of help accepting the loss of a loved one, please click on the appropriate link below to access information about mental illness and finding a way to get help.
No one is alone.
Depression: The National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml
Bullying: Stopbullying.org:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/
Suicide: Suicide.org: Suicide Prevention, Awareness and Support: http://suicide.org/
Grief Counseling: Medline Plus: A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001530.htm
There are so many people to thank in this section. So many people that worked with me, listened to me, and helped me when trying to get Aubrey’s story where I wanted it to be. I hope I get everyone…
First, and foremost, my husband. Who painstakingly dealt with our three children as I wrote this book. Taking them to dinners, to movies, feeding them ice cream–whatever I needed so that I could write undistracted. Your faith in my writing and your strength when I had none will never go unnoticed. But they do, sometimes, go unmentioned. So, thank you honey, for everything. You are my anchor.
To my girls – I love you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience. I know it’s not easy, but you never complain. And I love you so much for that. You are truly the loves of my life. I. LOVE. YOU.
Jena Eilers – GAH! Our fourth book. Yikes. Thank you so much for just being there. Building me up when I feel nervous, listening to me go on and on about the storyline, giving me ideas and helping me when trying to figure out where to go next – with all of my books. You are the definition of true friendship, unconditional love, and unyielding support. I love you so much. THANK YOU!
Stephanie Johnson – Thank you for being there from the VERY beginning. You were there when this was supposed to be another story entirely. You helped me work out the details, listened to me ramble on, and on, and on – FOREVER! You never complained and cheered me on as I wrote. I love you so much. Thank you for being my friend and one awesome beta reader.
Lisa Paul – My sister. Thank you for taking calls every five seconds, reading my random excerpts, bouncing ideas with me, and giving me excellent advice when coming up with the plot clear until I typed “The End”. And even long after. I have been SO incredibly blessed to have you in my life. You are such an amazing friend and I love you clear to the depths of my heart.
Nicole Tway – Thank you for also taking my random phone calls and helping me form the story. I remember talking to you about the prologue and you helped me work the beginning and the end of my story to help it become full circle. And of course, thank you for your friendship. It’s not often we find things to be real, but you my dear are as REAL as they come. And I am so thankful to have you in my life. I love you.
Tina Torrest – GAH WOMAN! You are a lifesaver. Thank you so much for beta reading this story in its last stages. Well, I thought it was in the final stages until you got a hold of it. LOL! Thank you for challenging me. Because of you, my story is exactly how it should be. Your love for these characters rivals mine, and I know you expected nothing less than the best for them. You are amazing. And I am so glad that I met you. THANK YOU!!!!!
Regina Wamba – I sent you ONE scene and you came up with the most beautiful cover I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And it’s not only gorgeous, but it is so perfectly representative of the story inside. The light and the dark, the dismal abyss, the resurrection. You captured and told my story beautifully. You are so fabulous at what you do. My words cannot thank you enough.
Jennifer Roberts-Hall – Thank you for not only editing this baby, but for your unconditional support and faith in my writing. You know better than most how difficult this journey can be, but your optimism and continuous support give me hope. Thank you for understanding my stories, my lessons, and helping me mold them. You are truly the most caring and wonderful person I know. I love you.
Kassi Cooper – Thank you for formatting my baby and making it look it’s best in every single way that it’s read. You add so much personality with your little tweaks here and there. You are truly gifted at formatting, and I thank you for bringing the words to life on the pages.
Missy MacKenzie Swain – Thank you for making me smile on a daily basis. And thank you for your constant uplifting messages and hope-filled words. You will NEVER know how much they mean to me. You keep me going when I want to quit. You never fail to make me laugh, and I am SO blessed to be able to call you my friend. I love you so much.
Alexis Ciman – I must include you because you, like Aubrey, have excellent taste in music my friend. And because our highly intellectual conversation are actually useful sometimes. ;) Thank you for giving me music suggestions, but more importantly, thank you for making me giggle non-stop via text. I love you!
Becky Carter Nichols – Thank YOU for cracking that whip. You were the driving force when I wanted to lounge around and not write this book. You kept me on course, and I thank you so much for that. Now that I’m done, you can stop cracking now. LOL!
Jennifer Diaz – Thank you so much for your constant support and your mad pimping skills. And thank you for pointing out a couple of aspects in the story that I overlooked. You are amazing at what you do, your constant support for indie writers. I know it’s not said as much as it should be, but THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart!
Keelie Chatfield – Thank you for all of our random, less than clear-headed conversations. LOL! You listened to me chat about the story, and your excitement to see what happened truly kept me writing. I am so glad we met in Vegas. But, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except that one picture of me kissing your cheek. Not sure how that happened. Heehee. Any-who. I love you, woman. Thank you for your CONSTANT support.
Luna Sol – A VERY special thank you goes out to you and your awesome teasers! Thank you for bringing the characters to life with such amazing collages. You are so talented, and every one you make for me truly showcases the stories in such a beautiful way. Thank you for taking your very valuable time to highlight some of my favorite quotes. I keep all that you make, and go back often, smiling when I read them.
Kara Hildebrand – Thank you for YOUR awesome teasers as well, and your uncanny ability to make me spit Red Bull when I read your messages. I can’t wait to meet you later this year! Thank you for being there as
I wrote this story. #writelbwrite will forever be my favorite hashtag.
Sandi Armstrong, Cezanne Dilbert, Jennifer Sons, Laura Harris, Christine Borgford, MJ Fyer, Laura Hildalgo, Jeanette Mancine, Heather Reed, Lisa Ammari, Maria Ibarra, Annie Brown, and Kendra Kirby Haneline – YOU LADIES! GAH! I just love you so much! Your excitement and support mean the world to me. You have no idea how much you make me smile. Every. Single. Day. I love you all so much. Thank you for constantly commenting, pimping, “liking” – all the things that you do to help me get my books seen. You are so amazing, all of you.
For all the bloggers that continuously share my teasers and generate excitement for my upcoming books. I would be absolutely nothing without you. My works would remain unread if it wasn’t for your reading, reviewing, and pimping. You do so much for the indie community, and please believe me when I say, you make a WORLD of difference for every indie author you promote. And you do it all because of your love of books and for no other reason. Completely. Amazing. Thank you.
And finally, to the readers, thank you so much for reading Aubrey’s story. I truly hope that you took something away when you were through. That her journey made a difference in your life, in some way, shape, or form. I can never truly express my gratitude for taking a chance on this book. Thank you.
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller Page 25