Fighting Conviction by Greer Rivers
Acknowledgments
I’m a words of affirmation girl, so bear with me. I love to give shoutouts and I’m super blessed which means there’s a TON of gratitude to go around but it’s impossible to mention everyone without writing another 110k words. The tl;dr version of this is: if you know me, I’m more thankful for you than you could ever know.
First, and almost foremost (sorry, the hubs is always my #1), thank you READERS! The dream makers and Boss Ass Bitches. I know your time is precious, so to have you spend it on something I wrote is a true damn honor. If you are also a booktoker/bookstagrammer/faithful reviewer, holy crap, let me just tell you that you make an author’s world go ‘round.
Hanging out with y’all is why I do this and I love hearing from readers: good, bad, or ugly, although admittedly I’m always fingers-crossed for good. You rock my world with your encouragement and I’m truly so surprised every single time someone says something pretty about my words. I wouldn’t be able to pursue this dream without y’all so thanks for making my dreams come true!
To Marisa at Cover Me Darling: Thank you so much for putting up with me! I was a stressed out wreck and you held my hand while making a cover that was better than I could dream of!
Many thanks to Elle McLove, my editor at My Brother’s Editor, and Rosa Sharon, the Fairy Proof Mother: Y’all are the freaking best and I’m so thankful to keep working with MBE. Elle, I’m so sorry I tortured you this round, but I need you to still love me and make my shit pretty. Rosa, it makes my damn life when you say you like something! PS I also need to get your addresses so I can send y’all well-deserved tiaras!
To FC’s alpha and beta readers:
Payson, Jessica B., Lee J, A.V., Salem, Ashleigh, Whitney, Kristen, Randi, Sierra, Jessica S., Carrie, Janet, and Melissa
This book would be an absolute disaster without y’all. Payson, your tough as nails alpha reading is literally making me a better writer, and no matter how many tears I cry, that one ‘The part above this is GREAT!’ comment made it all worth it. Thank you betas for telling me ‘plush mounds’ was an icky description (I agree, idk what I was thinking), reminding me about the bike, breaking it to me when something sucked, and reassuring me with pretty words of your own. I couldn’t do this without y’all’s compliment sandwiches and you were exactly what I needed to publish this book. I was terrified and your encouragement helped me keep going. More than that, I feel like I’ve made some great friends and that means everything.
To my TikTok author friends: Many of you have been encouraging as hell and also hilariously fun to get to know. Booktok is my people and I’m so glad I joined and met all you other thirsty bitches. This has been such an incredible journey and I am so very grateful to call y’all my friends! I can’t wait for ORLANDO! It’s gonna be the bomb.
To Lee J: You are the sun, my friend. Thank you so much for loving me even though I’m your Simon Cowell alpha. I’m so proud of you and so excited to continue our writing journeys side by side. Thank you for telling me my words are pretty and being gentle with me when I need it. This one was rough for me to write, but you kept me going and I freakin’ love you for that and so much more.
To Kayleigh: Girl, I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for putting up with my *constant* bitching and stressing and meeting me on that level when I need it (#spiralsquad), but also picking me up when I need that, too. Our deadlines are crazy and I am PUMPED to accomplish all the goals we dream about at 1AM EST. You are seriously one of the best friends a girl could have and 1. I can’t wait for the beach, and 2. I can’t wait to keep being friends with you.
To my OG BABs/Dinner Divas: Katie, Sydni, and Liz: For some crazy reason, y’all accept me for my flaws and keep loving me through my crazy. Including you guys, I can count on one hand the people I feel confident in being totally myself with. I’m not crying right now, I swear…
Thank you, Katie, for being the type of bestie who lets me be unapologetically me. Idk how you always intuitively know what I need or how I’m going to react, but I’m so grateful for it. Thank you for always texting me ahead of time to let me know where to park and I’m so glad that Goose and Evie are the best of friends, aka not enemies.
Thank you, Sydni, for being the type of bestie who not only remembers I don’t like olives, but makes a whole ‘nother damn batch of pasta salad without them. It was fucking delicious. On the way home that day, I teared up because I was so overwhelmed at your thoughtfulness with *everything*. It’s honestly healing to have an awesome friend like you and so encouraging to have you in my corner.
Thank you, Liz, for being the type of bestie who never gives up on getting me out of the house. There are literally days I can’t remember when I’ve left it, but I try my best to always say yes to you. I never, ever expected to have a book release party but you selflessly planned and threw the best one I could ever ask for. Drunk chatting with you in the back seat while we waited for them to get pizza will forever be one of my favorite hazy memories.
I’ve never had a solid group of ride or dies until y’all, and now I’ll never go without. I’m so thankful to have friends that come up with excuses like book release parties with tiny red paper shoes and dog birthday parties in order to drink the rest of a wine advent calendar. Next time we go to that Alice in Wonderland gin restaurant with food just as tiny, let’s get a burger first, then dessert after.
To my wonderful family, my momma, sisters, BIL, and precious baby angel face niece: if y’all ever read this, I’m sorry I’ve been MIA writing 110k word book in a month. In my defense, y’all know good and well I’m a “dilly dally” and you’re deoxyribonucleicly obligated to still love me. May you always and forever be my oblivious supporters. I love y’all with all my heart but I mean it with all sincerity when I say please, for God’s sake, do not read my books. If you are in these acknowledgements because you have indeed read a book or two, well, sorry-not-sorry and hope you enjoyed it, at least, lol. Keep your judgments, but I’ll take your prayers. Lord knows I need them.
To Maria: the fact that you read my books is a testament to what a kickass therapist you are. I firmly believe that when everyone is born we should be assigned a therapist and I’m so grateful I lost my mind at the perfect time that I got to have you as mine.
To Athena, you crazy bitch: I wouldn’t have started writing as a form of therapy if you hadn’t driven me insane. Let’s not do it again, shall we?
And finally, to the hubs: You are my “Mighty Alpha,” first reader, TikTok approver, cliff jump pusher/catcher, favorite encourager, IRL book boyfriend, best friend forever, and the love of my life. You are literally the first person to ever tell me a story I wrote was good enough to send out in the world and you never let me give up on this one even though my confidence was shot to hell. I am so incredibly thankful for you believing in me 100% and encouraging me when it was crazy and not financially sound to do so. You’ve saved my life and you’ve changed it for the better. I wouldn’t want to spend a moment of it without you. Thank you for making every day an HEA.
Love,
