The Duke of Bannerman Prep
Page 27
To Jeanne Schriel, thank you for your thoughtful emails and encouraging comments. Your feedback is invaluable, and your friendship is so meaningful.
To Heather Dabbert and Pam Spycher, my first critique partners. Thank you for reading my early, terrible drafts of this novel (and the ones before, too) and not telling me they were terrible. Your support has meant the world to me. To Jodi Angel, who saw the earliest versions of this novel both in class and in workshops, and didn’t kick me out for constantly bringing it back. Thank you for telling me when it was terrible and for pushing me to do better.
To Leah Paddock, Andrea Dunlap, and Tarryn Lillian, who read my very first attempt at a novel and encouraged me to keep writing anyway. Thank you for seeing my potential.
To Holly Keenan, for the website, marketing savvy, the trip to New York, and general awesomeness. I’m so grateful for all that you do for me and my family.
To Jessica Taylor and Kerry Kletter, thank you for answering all of my questions, reassuring me when I was stressed out, and being such wonderful mentors.
To the Class of 2K17 and the 2017 Debuts, thank you for the support and encouragement. I’m grateful to have so many intelligent, articulate, and kind people to learn from and share this journey with.
To my friends who have been so vocal in your support for me and my writing. Thank you to Sandi Wheeler, Diana Hansen, Lauri Zwahlen, Susan Turner, Kristi Payne, Starla Winter, Brittany Felton, Cindy Ortland, and Michiko West. Thank you for helping with my kids, for the lunch dates, movie nights, encouraging texts, and for not commenting on what a mess my house was all the time.
To my parents, who bought me books before I could read them and always encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do. Thank you for reading to me, for taking me to the library, for watching The McLaughlin Group with me, for driving all over California to get me to my debate tournaments, for laughing at my letters home freshman year and telling me I should be a writer. It’s because of you that I had the nerve to think I could write a book.
To my siblings who had to listen to my rants in the car on the way to school (even if you did turn the radio up to drown me out), who teased me and taught me to laugh at myself, and who have been so supportive of this dream. Thank you also to my in-laws, who aren’t obligated by genetics to like and support me, but do anyway.
To my kids, who never complained when I put on my noise cancelling headphones and went upstairs to write. (Or maybe you did. I don’t know. I was wearing noise cancelling headphones.) Thank you for doing extra chores when I didn’t have time, for suggesting more realistic dialogue when I needed help, and for only crashing the computer once when I was on deadline. You have all been my biggest fans, and I am so lucky to have you all in my life. I love you even more than this book!
To J.R., who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for the pep talks, endless supply of Diet Pepsi, and for always saying “you should go” whenever I would think about attending a class or a conference or event. You’ve made this dream possible, and I’m so thrilled to share it with you.
And finally, even though he isn’t here to read it, thank you to Tom Montgomery, who introduced this nervous freshman girl to the world of speech and debate and changed her life. You gave of your time and your heart and touched so many students’ lives. I will forever be grateful for your guidance, wisdom, and love, and feel it an honor to count myself among your former students.