To my wonderful agent, Chip MacGregor: you are my biggest cheerleader and faithful guide. How wonderful to walk alongside you.
To my prayer team: Kathleen, Dannelle, Sharen, and Linda: you’ve been a God-send. Thank you for walking me through the ups and downs of this past year.
To all of the girls out there who’ve ever walked a mile in Mari’s shoes: You know what it’s like to be overlooked and to feel left out. Don’t let that stop you from responding with grace and ease. You might be the last bridesmaid in the lineup but you’re still #1 in God’s eyes.
And last, but certainly not least: to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Every word is for You.
for Picture Perfect Love
Thanks to my editor, Becky Monds, as well as Becky Philpott, Karli Jackson, and the rest of the team at HarperCollins Christian. I so appreciate this opportunity! I’m thrilled to be a part of the Year of Weddings series!
A special thanks to my line editor, Jamie Chavez, for the time you spent on this project and all the back-and-forth emails.
A shout-out to my agents Christina Hogrebe and Annelise Robey at Jane Rotrosen Agency for thinking of me when they heard about this project and making it happen. I cannot thank you enough for all that you do and have done for me over the years!
Thank you to my dear friend Terri Reed for your support, friendship, and prayers as we’ve traveled the road from unpublished to published authors and beyond. I hope you know what a blessing you are in my life.
Thanks to my sweet friend Kimberly Field for reading this manuscript, offering encouragement and help when I needed it most. You’re another one of my blessings, and I pray we can meet in person someday!
A high five to my Panera Write-In Group —Amy, Delle, Marilyn, Melania, and Peggy. Next to attending church on Sunday, meeting with you is the other thing I look forward to each week. Thanks for getting together so we can socialize and get words written too!
A big hug to my oldest daughter for helping me brainstorm my hero’s first name by telling me the names of the guys in your favorite band.
And finally, lots of love to my readers. You’re the best! I pray that God blesses each one of you the way you have blessed me.
for I Hope You Dance
I have enjoyed reading each one of the Year of Weddings novellas as they have released, and I was delighted to be invited to participate in the second year, especially since it allowed me to return to Kings Meadow once again.
And a special thanks to Ami McConnell, who championed all of the stories set in Kings Meadow.
for Love on a Deadline
A heartfelt THANK YOU to Daisy Hutton and the amazing team at HarperCollins Christian Publishing for giving me another opportunity to use all the wedding intel I gathered two summers ago when our children (all THREE of them!) got married.
Editor Becky Monds, Lorie Jones, Karli Jackson, Elizabeth Hudson, and Katie Bond—you all make this so easy (and so much fun!).
And to Pete, for providing Friday night pizza, melt-me hugs, and the occasional emergency cupcake when I’m having a bad day. But especially because you still look at me the way you did when we were married twenty-seven years ago . . . even though I no longer look like I did twenty-seven years ago!
And to the Creator for writing the very first romance and showing me what true love is all about.
for Love Takes the Cake
Much gratitude to my editor, Becky Philpott—I love you more than cupcakes!
To the entire editorial and marketing team at HarperCollins—you guys rock!
And to my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray with the Steve Laube Agency—thank you for your consistent support and cheerleading.
To Anne, for being a friend, a first reader, and a voice of reason and truth. I am so grateful for your friendship.
To Jacki, for always being willing to fly with me into the unknown. You’re a warrior!
And to Audrey—my Little Miss, who’s always up for dessert. I love you! Let’s eat cake!
for The Perfect Arrangement
Seriously y’all. I’m not typically a fan of writing first drafts. They tend to feel unwieldy and messy and sort of like oh-my-goodness-this-is-going-to-be-the-end-of-my-writing-career-because-this-is-so-horrendously-horrible. I usually lament this thought once or twice (or a hundred times) to my husband and my best friend, Melissa, both of whom remind me that I say this with every single story and, so far, my career hasn’t ended. Anyway, that’s usually how my rough drafts go down.
For whatever reason, this wasn’t the case with The Perfect Arrangement. Let’s just put it this way: If The Perfect Arrangement were a baby, it would be one of those incredibly endearing, low-maintenance, perpetually smiling babies that makes mamas everywhere feel like they’re winning.
For that, I feel all kinds of gratitude toward the two main characters—Amelia and Nate—for their blessed cooperation. I had a blast bringing you two to life on the page. And now that I’ve expressed my gratitude toward two imaginary people, I probably ought to express it toward the real-life ones.