Of Thorns and Beauty by Elle Madison
Robin’s Acknowledgments
It’s always hard to remember who to thank at the end of a book when it’s such a huge team of amazing people making it all possible, but I’m going to give it a shot.
First and foremost, my husband is amazing for being so patient when this book took longer than expected, for keeping my babies occupied with board games and anime while I spent yet another day in my writing/editing cave. Thank you for listening to me rant about plot-holes in my permanently exhausted, nonsensical haze. You are the most supportive husband anyone could ask for and, without a doubt, the best daddy ever!
To my co-author, the icing to my cupcake, the jelly to my peanut butter, you also deserve a thank you for patience. This book was rough around the edges, and we had to work long, frustrating hours to make it come together. Thank you for not giving up on this project or me, even when neither of us (me or the book) was at our best.
To my big sister and Auntie-bear to my children, you also have had the fun of hearing me talk endlessly about this book in the months it took to finish. If that wasn’t fun enough, you even read the bad iterations and watched my wayward monsters while you were at it. You are the best. <3
Jamie, I will thank you in every book from here to eternity because without your unending well of optimism and fantastic eye for errors, nothing I write would be what it is. Did I mention I love you for putting up with me even when I can’t stick to a deadline or remember to book you in advance?
Brianna, you have once again saved my butt with your uncanny ability to root out plot-holes and inconsistency errors. I think sometimes your sheer determination on my behalf is the only reason I don’t throw in the towel. You’ll never know what your straightforward nature does for my motivation. Thank you!
Ivy, I honestly don’t know how you forced yourself to read at least four iterations of the beginning of this book, but it was impressive, especially when I happen to know one of them was very, very bad. You are seriously awesome for all the hard work you put into helping us shape this story and everything else you do. I’m so glad you’re on our team!
Lissa, Jill, and Joy, you guys are the best betas anyone could ask for! Laughing and crying and swooning with your comments was hands down, the best part of writing this book.
Kate, you came in late and threw on a cape and helped us perfect this story! Thank you for still loving us even after we kept you awake at PennedCon.
Sarah, thank you for lending us Gideon and helping us to do him justice! He became such an unexpectedly spectacular part of this story, all from your invaluable input.
Michelle, you’re still my favorite mentor, even if I thrust you into that title without your desire or permission. :P Thank you for always being a listening ear when writing gets rough!
We had so many amazing readers and author friends who got us through this story, it’s impossible to name them all, but I love our Drifters and Wanderers! You guys encourage me even when
you don’t know it, you vote on things we can’t decide on, and you are generally entertaining when I need a boost. Here’s to hoping the road to the next book is a lot less bumpy!