Ivory and Bone (Ivory and Bone #1) - Julie Eshbaugh Page 0,114
my head and heart if it weren’t for the efforts of so many wonderful people who helped bring them to life on these pages.
I want to thank Alexandra Cooper, who understood this story from the beginning. I owe you so much for shining the light of your editorial talents on an early version of this manuscript, and helping me see the better book within it. Thank you for asking all the right questions, and for working alongside me as we uncovered the essence of Kol’s story. Your input has been invaluable.
Of course, Alexandra would never have read this book if Josh Adams had not read it first. Josh, I am quite sure that no other literary agent could have done what you did for this book and for me as an author. I cannot thank you enough for sharing the power of your vision. You have set me and my stories on the best possible path, and I am so fortunate to have benefited from your talents.
Along with Alexandra Cooper and Josh Adams, I want to thank all the people who worked with them to bring this book into the world. At : thank you to Rosemary Brosnan, Alyssa Miele, Erin Fitzsimmons, Jessica Berg, Olivia Russo, Patty Rosati, and Kim VandeWater. At Adams Literary: thank you to Tracey Adams and Samantha Bagood. To everyone else whose work has contributed to this book, thank you. I am indebted to each of you for your enthusiasm and efforts. Thanks also to Sean Freeman for your contributions to my beautiful cover.
So many other writers have helped me along the way, but I must thank Amie Kaufman first among them. It would take twenty pages to properly acknowledge the difference your help and friendship have made in my life. Thank you for your constant encouragement, for taking the time to read, and for sharing your talent with me at the time I needed it most.
Kat Zhang, you have been with me almost from the beginning of my writing journey. You are so talented and supportive, and I am so proud to call you my friend. Thank you for reading and giving me your thoughts, and for the text messages, progress check-ins, and emails that assured me I was not toiling alone. I couldn’t have made it through without you.
Thank you, of course, to all the Pub(lishing) Crawl contributors and readers. Your enthusiasm is simply more than I could ever have expected or imagined, and it has made a huge difference in my life.
Thank you to all the scientists whose research and writing fed my imagination, and helped me understand the world of my characters and the lives they lived.
The goal of writing this book could never have been accomplished without the support of my friends and family. Naming all the friends who have laughed, cried, and laughed again with me along the way would be impossible, but please know that I appreciate all of you so much. To my sister, father, and stepmother, I can’t thank you enough for your inexhaustible faith in me and your constant encouragement. I also must mention the unconditional love and support I received from a special cat and dog, Sylvester and Memphis, who kept my lap and feet warm. Thank you for instinctively understanding that the best writing is done while peering around a furry head and between taking breaks to throw a ball.
Thank you to my son, Dylan. You are simply the purest light in my life. You never give up, and your example makes it impossible for me to give up. Your talent has always been an inspiration to me, and you never fail to make me laugh. Your sincere concern for me and my art is one of the truest gifts anyone could ever give me.
Thank you to my husband, Gary. I never knew an artist until I knew you. You live a life devoted to the art of your music, and being a part of that life has taught me how to live a life devoted to my writing. How could that gift ever be measured? You came into my life (or, rather, I dragged you into it), and you filled it with music, laughter, and love. I have the life I have because I have you.
I couldn’t thank all the people who have blessed my life without thanking God for bringing them to me. God has worked so many miracles in my life. This book is not the least of those miracles, but it’s not the greatest, either. I believe that God is Love, and all the people listed here prove that to me every day.