The Exception by Lauren H. Mae

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgements from Rosalie

So I’ve always thought that writing a book is hard. I mean, I’ve been working on it for years and all I have are parts of stories that could make a pretty good book one day… maybe. But then Lauren came along and asked me if I wanted to help her co-write this book and everything changed. I still think writing a book is pretty hard, but with someone like Lauren blazing the path, the hard stuff becomes so much easier.

Co-writing this was like staying up and talking with a friend till 2am for almost a year; from bouncing ideas around, to putting the story together, to gushing over the antics of our Trav facegrab on Instagram. I will never be able to thank Lauren enough for the opportunity to be a part of this series that I already loved so much and for helping me overcome my Sonya-ish tendency to overthink things and step out of my comfort zone. I’ve learned so much from this experience and I will forever refer to Lauren’s lessons in plotting, formatting, editing, character development, book promotion and especially word count.

To my friends and family who have been watching me write stories out by hand on steno pads, then on a typewriter, then a word processor, and finally a computer. You listened to me talk about the stories floating around in my head, read the pages I was so excited to print out and show you, and encouraged me to keep going. It’s been a long time coming but hopefully this is just the beginning. I love you all.

To the writers and readers in the Richonne fandom. A few years ago you all gave me the confidence to start writing again after a very long break. Thank you for your inspiration and your support.

Acknowledgments from Lauren

This book was my first ever co-write, so first and foremost I have to give a huge shoutout to Rosalie for being an absolute blast to work with. Of course that goes for the “work” work like drafting and editing and plotting, but also the true work of sending endless IG stories back and forth to each other as our Trav facegrab kept us eternally fed and inspired.

When people ask me if it was hard to co-write a book, I have to laugh because it was actually a lot like hanging out with a friend, being utterly ridiculous together, and having a book show up at the end of it all. Rosalie, our Instagram chat is an embarrassment on both of our houses and I’m so glad to have shared it with you.

But I have to back up a little more and thank the Richonne fandom for existing and introducing Rosalie and I in the first place. This might be the first novel we’ve written together, but we go way back, and as I mention each time I write one of these acknowledgement pages, I’ll forever and ever be grateful for that community of amazing women, kick-ass writers, and supportive readers.

To the Instagram model who became our Trav facegrab, as mentioned above, you’ll never know the part you played in this, but thank you for being a literal ray of sunshine.

To The Chat, of course, I’ll love you forever.

To Mel for being the best CP I’ve ever had. I love being in the stands to watch your success. Steer clear of bunnies.

To Bookstagram, ARC readers, podcast hosts and reviewers. What can I say besides THANK YOU!!!

Finally, to my husband, I’m sorry for all of the pictures of other men I’ve had to collect on my phone for “research.” It’s a part of the job. You’re still my favorite.