Beta Readers
Kim Wilcox, Tony Sands, Greg Dember, Nicholas Limon, Audrey Ney, Kristen Rea, Alexa Riddle, Mel Case, Shelby Etcheson, Ashley Oczkewicz, Elizabeth Stoker, Jeffrey Holmes, Rosalie M. Town, Dan Marchant, and everyone else I guilted into reading Velvet. Your criticism, enthusiasm, and time were critical in getting Velvet to where it is today.
Mr. Bratt
I still can’t call you by your first name, even though it’s been six years since I was your student. Your classes were spectacular. Doing homework for you was a privilege (which sounds insincere and brown-nosey, but I’m completely serious). You treat your students like intelligent, thoughtful adults, which made such an incredible difference in my reception of my own education. In your classroom, I realized that my decisions were my own, and I had within me the power to think critically about the world, to observe it and decipher it and understand it, rather than accept it at face value. The way you presented literature to a bunch of fidgety teenagers was nothing short of remarkable. I blame you for my love of archetypes.
Dad
In addition to sneaking me food and gas money over much of the last five years, you also instilled in me a love of fantasy literature. Reading The Chronicles of Narnia every night before I fell asleep allowed for the story to percolate in my dreaming brain. You never minded when I wandered off on literal bunny trails when we went hiking and camping, when I borrowed your longbow for target practice, or when I appropriated your scrap supplies and tools to make failed Rube Goldberg projects. Whatever independent spirit I have, I learned from your love of wilderness, beauty, and elbow grease. You’re an incredible dad, and I love you more than I can properly express.
Deborah Halverson
When I was 19, I sent Velvet out to dozens of literary agents, and one of them passed me along to you. You took it upon yourself to give me 13 pages of notes on my (at that point) 150,000-word manuscript. All you asked for in return was that when I published my novel (which you knew I would), I pass it forward by advising another young author. I have no idea if you remember this encounter, but I do, and I wanted to let you know that I intend to fulfill my promise.
Lonnie & Jess
I commonly refer to you two as either my mentors or my second set of parents, and both are apt descriptions. Whether it was a novel, a screenplay, or a pilot, you never failed to be both excited and supportive of my project, and wholly convinced of my potential, often when I was in extreme doubt. You’ve invested so much time and love into my life, and have been a steadying hand in the years when I felt lost and alone. Thank you for remaining a constant source of wisdom even when I moved a thousand miles away.
Michael
If Lonnie and Jess are my second parents, you are my Obi-Wan Kenobi. For the past six years, any time a career decision came up, any time I wasn’t certain what to do or where to go creatively or professionally, you were the first person I consulted. You are one of the most intelligent people I have ever met, and I owe so much of my development as an artist and a writer to you. I could not have asked for a better mentor, and I am proud to call you my friend.
Mrs. Madison
I only had you as a teacher for seventh grade, but over a decade later, I still remember what you did for me. Besides being a generally fantastic educator—funny, intelligent, and just a little bit sarcastic—you unknowingly confirmed my decision to become a writer. We had to submit a short story for your class and I was in such a rush of excitement that I turned one in on ripped-out notebook paper, scrawled in my completely unintelligible handwriting. You enjoyed it so much, you gave it 21 out of 20 possible points. Getting extra credit from you, simply for telling a good story, was the moment I knew for certain what I was going to do with my life. So, y’know, thanks for the being the catalyst for that semi-pivotal moment.
Mom
As my English teacher in both junior high and high school, you held me to a higher standard than your other students because you believed, well before I did, that I was going to be an author. You gave me your life savings so I could go to college, you sat across the table from me during the edits for this book and pointed out comma splices and laughed out loud at lines you thought were funny, and you inspired me to try the path less taken by living your own life outside the boxes others might have been expected you to stay put in. You are an incredible, brilliant woman, and I am proud to call you my mother.