naturally (and much like Kristen, without medical intervention and to her complete surprise), she dealt with secondary infertility due to severe uterine fibroids. She had all—if not more—of the physical and emotional challenges Kristen experiences in my novel. Much of what I wrote was verbatim, as Lindsay described it to me.
You may or may not have seen your own infertility journey in these pages. The thing I realized doing research for this book—and the truth you might already know if you’re going through this yourself—is that there is no universal story to tell. No two experiences are the same, and any measure of this challenging diagnosis is heartbreaking to endure.
What does unify these stories are the feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, and despair that come with this very common, but often not discussed, health issue. And so that is what I strove to tell in The Friend Zone.
Just one final note.
Kristen’s happy ending was never about getting pregnant. It was about her allowing herself to be loved, despite what she felt were shortcomings. It was about her recognizing that she wasn’t defined by her ability to have children, and that her worth went beyond the state of her uterus. That was her happily ever after.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank for this book becoming a published reality.
First and foremost I have to acknowledge my crit buddies and beta readers. These people trudged through some seriously awful shit before it became the book you just read. A special shout-out to my very first beta reader, Kristen McBride, who was reading my stuff before it was cool. And yes, my main character is named after her in thanks. You took one for the team, gurl. You’ve earned it.
Thank you to Joey Ringer, Hijo, Tia Greene, Shauna Lawless, Debby Wallace, J. C. Nelson, Jill Storm, Liz Smith-Gehris, G. W. Pickle, Dawn Cooper, Andrea Day, Lisa Stremmel, Lisa Sushko, Michele Alborg, Amanda Wulff, Summer Heacock, Stacey Sargent, George, Jhawk, Abby Luther, Patt Pandolfi, Bessy Chavez, Mandy Geisler, Teressa Sadowski, Stephanie Trimble, and Kristyn May.
To Naomi, my oldest daughter, who loved to hear my story ideas and encouraged me to write them down and then in typical teenager fashion rolled her eyes and said I’d probably not even mention her in the acknowledgments—I showed you, you salty bitch.
Thank you to the people who lent their expertise so that this story could be authentic: Valerie Hales Summerfield (ICU nurse), Terry Saenz (emergency room nurse), Suzanna and TJ Keeran (California firefighter paramedics), and my OB-GYN who answered some really random reproductive health questions without any explanation on my part.
To my best friend, Lindsay Van Horn, who seriously didn’t read shit because she only does audiobooks but who was the inspiration for Kristen and the cheerleader I needed along the way. Also, she sent me a congratulatory Potatogram upon the news of my book deal, with zero knowledge that I’d written that into the novel. Damn if I don’t know her.
I can’t express enough gratitude and appreciation for my literary agent, Stacey Graham. She took one look at that email from an unknown, first-time author, read the dick joke I’d put in my query, and said, “This girl is going places.” She was honorable, supportive, encouraging, and generally just an amazing human being right from the onset. She talked me off ledges, was an advisor, and most important, a friend. Thank you for taking a chance on me.
Thank you to Dawn Frederick for letting me be a part of Red Sofa Literary.
A thanks to my editor, Leah, who saw something in me and wanted to bring my stories to the world. Your mad skills and guidance unleash my creativity, and I can honestly say my books are better because you’re a part of them. Thanks, too, to the entire Forever team, who’s supported this book from the beginning: Estelle with her amazing publicity, Lexi, Gabi, Cristina, and to Elizabeth for the awesome cover.
And lastly, to my long-suffering husband, Carlos, who sacrificed time with me and my attention so I could focus (compulsively, I might add) on my passion. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t know what a happily ever after looks like. People ask me if Josh is my husband. All the best parts of any man I ever write will always be something I’ve seen in my own. No fictional character will ever be him—he’s better.
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Don’t miss Abby’s second novel,
The Happily Ever After Playlist,
featuring Sloan’s heartbreaking and romantic story, coming in spring 2020.