The Silent Gift
Page 31
Acknowledgments
The authors greatly appreciate Pastor Cliff Gregory for all the time, counsel, and help he provided in the early stages of our novel. We were blessed to have had some great resources for our research and would like to sincerely thank Dr. Clint Arnold, Biola University; Dr. Timothy Warner, Freedom in Christ Ministries; and Dr. Mike Pocock, Dallas Theological Seminary, who generously gave us insight into some difficult and thought-provoking questions. Our gratitude to friend and mentor Carol Johnson for her editorial acumen. And last but not least, we are thankful to Luke, who became the seed of inspiration without even knowing it.
FROM MICHAEL
The process of writing this book was made infinitely easier because of the love and support from my wonderful family. To my children, Ashley, Brittany, and Austin, I am grateful every day that I’m your father. And in the words of Mark Andrus, to my wife, Sharee, you make me want to be a better man.
FROM CINDY
Lots of appreciation goes to my loving family and amazing friends for all their support during this endeavor. A special thanks to Michael Landon for inviting me on this particular journey of novel writing. To Christy Cooper, who has read each new draft with enthusiasm, many thanks! I don’t have to look far to find the gifts that God has given me. Grandchildren, Delaney and Brody, I adore you! Nicole, Josh, and Danielle, you’ve grown into incredible people and I’m so proud of you all. And Jimmy, for everything you are, and all that we have together . . . thank you.
Michael Landon Jr. is all about stories and storytelling. His father’s Little House on the Prairie television series established the Landon name with family-friendly fare, and Michael carries on that tradition. This is captured in his very successful Love Comes Softly movie series based on the novels by Janette Oke and, among other recent film projects, Saving Sarah Cain, The Last Sin Eater, and The Velveteen Rabit. The parallel paths of book and film both provide their contrasting rewards and challenges, and readers and film watchers alike will be enjoying Landon projects for a long time to come. Michael and his wife, Sharee, make a home for their three children in Austin, Texas.
Cindy Kelley is married to her high-school sweetheart. (Their early dates included flying to various cities for lunch so he could clock flying hours.) Devoting herself to raising their three children, she also served as a Lamaze instructor and birth coach. A lover of reading since childhood, she more recently has been able to pursue her dream of writing. Though this is her first novel, she has collaborated on screenplays with Michael Landon Jr., including some Love Comes Softly films as well as The Velveteen Rabbit. Cindy and Jim make their home in Tucson, Arizona, and are enjoying their new role as grandparents.
Books by
Michael Landon Jr.
One More Sunrise
The Silent Gift*
* with Cindy Kelley