HERE (On the Otherside Series, Book One)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank my daughter Julia for harassing me to write a book that “she could read.” She asked me to name the character after her, which I did with one caveat: If it got too weird I would change the character’s name. Lucky for her, I recognized two very distinct people. Julia Phillips is NOTHING like Julia Swank.

And I kind of like it that way.

I’d also like to thank Julia for being so excited about Here that she formed a book club comprised of eighth grade girls to beta read it. (And so did most of their mothers.) It was very exciting for me the night the girls broke out into an argument over who they preferred in the love triangle—Evan or Reece. Many thanks to Emily Cook, Megan Frerking, Grace Klausen, Shelby Reiff, Rachel Roberts, Brooke Sherman, and Allison Smith.

I also want to thank my son Trace Dixon. He was a tremendous help with the world building of Evan’s universe, letting me bounce ideas off of him during multiple power lunches. He claimed it was fun. but it helped that he really likes lunches paid for by mom. It also helps that the Salty Iguana is his favorite Mexican restaurant.

Here wouldn’t the book it is today without Trisha Leigh, my critique partner and awesome friend, who stuffed one young adult book in my hands after another when I told her I was going to write a YA next. And offered nothing but encouragement when I hit a plot wall and freaked out. “You’ll get it,” she said. “You always do.”

And last, I’d like to thank my editor Jim Thomsen, who always offers support and encouragement and makes my books so much better. Little did he know what he was getting into when I asked him to edit my first book.