ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writing of Catharsis took me nearly a year to complete, and it was a process that I never could have done alone. I owe debts to many people for this book turning out as well as it did.
Thank you to my wife for her faith in me and her continued pressure to get me to sit down and finally write something. Taking that first step into writing a novel was nerve-wracking and her belief in my ability was inspiring. And another thank you to her for helping me find the free time to sit and write. Writing is a lonely venture, but it becomes much more bearable when those around you are supportive. Thank you, hon.
My apologies and a thank you to my daughters for their patience as their daddy spent a lot of time in his office (and the quiet closet IN the office) writing and working on his novel. They were very understanding and helpful, and their love helped guide me. I hope I have created a book that my daughters will be proud of once they’re old enough to read it.
Thank you to my parents for raising me with a love of both reading and creative expression. That foundation helped make me the person I am today. My parents also did a wonderful job of convincing me I could become anything I wanted to be once I grew up, and that faith helped foster my delusion of becoming a novelist. A delusion that has now become reality.
My journey into becoming a published writer was made immensely easier through the advice of Megan Powell, an old friend who had been down this path before. If you haven’t checked out her book, No Peace for the Damned, on Amazon you really should. It is worth the download.
My book would not have become what it is without my “early readers” helping me out by taking a look at the rough draft and letting me know if I was going in the right direction. Your willingness to give up free time and read my manuscript and comment on it was a life-saver for me. Thank you Madison Carmichael, Lesley Gaylor, Abby Hurt, Pat Lehmann, Kevin Stumpf and Brenna Terrell.
And finally a thank you to my editors for reading my early draft and giving incredibly detailed story feedback and catching some of my many, many errors. Your ideas were invaluable in shaping the final product. I hope you’ll be willing to work with me on my next book once it’s ready. I am eternally in your debt Rachel Desmarais, Jillian Hayes, Grace Haza and Kara Rebholz. And a special thank you to Madeline Snipes for being the first person to ever read my completed manuscript (While dodging through my horrible misuses of “its” and “it’s”.) and give me verification of its success as a story (Even if you did hate me for the ending!).
And lastly (different from “finally”), a thank you to my many students over the years for being my inspiration to write a young adult novel. I wrote this for you. I hope you enjoyed it. There will be a test over it later. J
YOU ARE READING
Catharsis [Novel]
ParanormalEvery villain is the HERO of their own story... Fifteen-year old Catarina Perez wakes up in one of the city’s alleys covered in blood and lying next to the corpse of a man she has never met before. And it turns out that isn’t the strangest thing...