by Yessi Smith
To my family and grandparents who’d support me even if my only means of writing was on toilet paper.
To my LP and best friend, Mady who also serves as my therapist and is the only reason I resemble a mildly sane person. Life’s A Cappella would never have seen the light of day if it weren’t for you but… then you kind of abandoned me. But seeing as not many people will take me on as their LP, we’re pretty much stuck together. Oh yea, and I adore you.
To Jill, my Horny Pie, who immediately claimed Adam as her own, has talked me through every breakdown I’ve had and read through five million different versions of Love, Always. You kick huge gnarly ass. I’d be lost without you. For real though, because you’re like the working part of my brain and I really wish you’d just move in full time in there so I’m not lost half the time.
To Lee, whose daily insults brighten my day and is one of the few people I can unleash my full personality on without fear of judgment because you’re just as bad as I am. I’m happy I made you cry. There, now it’s written for all the readers of the world to see. I. Am. Happy. I’m also happy to call you one of my best friends and am saddened on the days that you hideaway in your lair to write and leave me for hours to fend for myself.
Mary, who pimps me out like a slut reaching her prime. You’re awesome. I’m so happy I know you.
Kelly, who didn’t keep me waiting long before your invaluable advice and suggestions hit my inbox.
Neeny, who bounced ideas around with me and helped me more than I could describe in such a short section. You’re amazing and wonderful and I have a serious girl crush on you, which I guess is fine since you’ve already asked me to go steady.
To my street team, my Sadistic Sweethearts: all these bad bitches mentioned above plus Lisa, Jennifer, Maria, Carmen, Lori, Vane, Jen, Amanda, Nat, Ty, Jodie, Stephanie, and Carrie. I’m grateful to call you all my friends.
To my editor at KMS Freelance Editing who spent endless hours going over my manuscript, making it as perfect as it could be.
To my cover designer and formatter at Mayhem Cover Creations. LJ, you are fantastic! I’m in love with my cover and have been known to stare at it for hours. I may have licked my screen a few times as well.
To my readers, who have taken a chance on my writing. I have no words for you, just a mountain of appreciation.
Thank you. All of you. Thank you.
I'm a Hispanic living in South Florida with my redneck husband from Texas and our "half breed" son, who is actually the reason I started writing again after years of celibacy. My son loves stories, but not the kind you can read in an existing book. No, he'd rather make up a story, complete with our own illustrations. So, thank you, Son, for igniting a flame I had let go out.
I also live with two dogs: a neurotic Border Collie we call Nitro and a midget Rottweiler named Nisa.
I have always found my sanctuary at the beach and in music and writing. I wish I could write rhymes so I could become a famous rapper, but rhyming is completely lost on me. My son surpassed me in the rhyming game by the time he was four. This is something I am very proud of.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Master's in Human Resource Management. I have held several jobs, from picking up dog poop to upper management positions. And now I am hoping to leave the business world behind so I can live full time in a world that does not exist until I place my fingers on a keyboard and bring them to fruition.