Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron (The Matchbaker Mysteries Book 1)
Page 31
All of my English teachers bear some responsibility for this book. The Beehlers, Sara Jayne Steen, Jill Davis, Linda Karell, Dr. Trout, Dr. Morgan, Dr. Sexson, Dr. Keehler. To my English undergrad partners, Mary and Rory and Peter, who made being an English major so much fun. To all the friends and teachers at the Moorhead MFA program, as well, although I left too early to have likely made an impression on them. They made quite an impression on me.
For my sister, Maggie, and for and Kristy and Cathy, I quite literally would not be the person I am today without all of you. And for Krystal Shannan, who tirelessly read this book, with each chapter, and allowed me to cover my face when she asked questions so she wouldn’t see what was going to happen. I love the surprises too much.
To Angela Polidoro, who took the raw material of this book and made it into something I’m proud to produce. Working with you has been an honor. I hope there are many more Vangie books to work with you on in the future.
To Lane Heymont, my agent, whose tweet about this book has been printed out and taped to my vision board. You’ll never know how much that meant to me. To my RWA chapters, writers’ groups, Margie Lawson Academy and Immersion sisters, thank you for speaking into my process and supporting me when I needed it. And thanks to Margie for the NYTs that kept me working so hard on writing fresh. Thanks to Zara and Karen and Rosie and Ritter and Corrie, who all helped me with different parts of this process, and who have given amazing, insightful feedback. I appreciate all my writer- and reader-friends so much.
And of course, I want to thank God. Not only for the gift of words and story, but for the ability to find hope and justice and truth in a world that seems so often devoid of all those things. Thank you for fiction, when the world is hard. And thank you for reality, when it’s not.
I hope you all have enjoyed Vangie Vale as much as I have. Thank you for reading.
Becca (R.L.) Syme
Copyright ©2017 by R.L. Syme. All Rights Reserved. Published by Hummingbird Books.
No part or parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, in any language, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.
Edited by Angela Polidoro
Cover by Llewellen Designs
Recipes, courtesy of Big Sky Bakery