Second version beta readers, Leah, Laura, and Alison, for the great comments and suggestions that gave me the confidence to know I was (finally!) on the right track.
Michele Holmes, my super-editor to the second and final version. Thank you so much for your guidance in turning this story into something so much better. Your suggestions and comments were just what I needed to take it to the next level.
Kelsey Down for the line editing.
Thank you, Jewel, for the proofreading.
Jess Purser, for the lovely custom illustration of Josh and Sofia on their wedding day. I love it!
Emily Tippets, for the paperback formatting and for making my book’s insides as pretty as the outside.
Ravven, for the beautiful cover I can’t stop looking at.
My children—Michael, Rose, Jacob, and Isaac—who had to share their mother’s time with fictional characters more times than we can count. Thank you for your patience and support. If there’s one thing I want you to learn from all of this is that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. That little dream you have in your heart, the one you love so much that it hurts—follow that dream. Give it life and give it wings, and you will never regret that.
Keep moving forward and never lose sight of your dreams.
Dedication
Para a minha mãe,
de quem herdei o amor pelas letras e a paixão pelos livros.
To my mother,
who first gave me the love for letters and the passion for books.
About the author
Lucinda Whitney was born and raised in Portugal, where she received a master’s degree from the University of Minho in Braga in Portuguese/English teaching. She’s a cancer survivor, and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Salt Lake Temple Square Visitors Center mission in Utah.
She lives in northern Utah with her husband and four children. When she’s not reading and writing, she can be found with a pair of knitting needles in winter, or tending her herb garden in the summer. She also works part-time as a substitute teacher.
Lucinda is an active member of the League of Utah Writers.
Please visit her website at lucindawhitney.com for more information and Portuguese recipes. You may send her an email here.
The Secret Life of Daydreams Page 28