Many people visualize novelists toiling away in isolation as we pound out words about the figments of our imagination. To a certain extent—especially when a deadline looms!—this is true. However, along with carving out the time to write, many of us spend hours conducting research, bringing our characters to life by discussing them with others, and praying for divine creativity and discipline. For me, at least, this is a huge part of the process, and I couldn’t accomplish the task without my heavenly Father’s guidance or the earthly angels he sends me.
Given that, I first offer a sincere and humble thank-you to God for his unconditional love, grace, and favor: Thank you for granting me the gift of writing and allowing me to serve you as a writer and speaker. I don’t take the fact that you’ve chosen me for granted.
I sincerely appreciate my husband, Donald, and my “little assistants,” Syd and Jay, for your love and constant support. Thank you for joining “Team Mommy” and giving me extra time to write so that this manuscript could be birthed.
Heartfelt gratitude is extended to Sharon Shahid, Carol W. Jackson, and Teresa Coleman, my dear friends and first readers, who devoted hours to reading and offering constructive feedback as I created these new characters and plopped them into a fictional setting.
Thank you, as always, to my spiritual mentor, Muriel Miller Branch, for your love, prayers, encouragement, and a sanctuary in which to write whenever I need it. You are an inspiration and a blessing!
Similar thanks is offered to my extended family, especially Dr. Barbara Grayson, Sandra K. Williams, Patsy Scott, Henry Haney, the entire Adams family, Terra Luster, and Lisa Armstead.
I am grateful to everyone who in some way assisted with my research for this book, including Dr. Carolyn Boone, Alexica Lay, Dr. Cheryl Nelson, and John Keltonic, who leads annual mission trips to the Canaan Children’s Home in Buziika, Uganda.
Abundant thanks to my agent, Steve Laube; my publicists, Pamela Perry and Barbara Rascoe; and the Revell Books staff for the opportunity to work with you from book idea through publication. A special thank-you is extended to Lonnie Hull DuPont, Brian Peterson, Cat Hoort, Barb Barnes, Twila Bennett, Karen Steele, Nathan Henrion, and Cheryl Van Andel.
I am especially grateful to the many book clubs, booksellers, and media professionals who continue to support my work, and to the following individuals: Bobbie Walker Trussell, Comfort Anderson-Miller, Charmaine Spain, Deborah Lowry, Joe and Gloria Murphy, Gwendolyn Richard, Fritz Kling, Sharon Ewell Foster, Marsha Sumner, Claudia Mair Burney, Marilynn Griffith, Margaret Williams, Vikki Johnson, Carol Mackey, Phyllis Theroux, Rachel Hauck, Joyce E. Davis, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Tiffany Warren, Victoria Christopher Murray, Jann Malone, Geneva Scott, Cheryl Miller, Rhonda McKnight Nain, Marina Woods, Sherri Lewis, Adriana Trigiani, Jacquelin Thomas, Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant, Cindy Windle, Eva Nell Hunter, Rachel Valenti, members of the ACFW Richmond Chapter, the Cannon family, Dr. Linda Beed, Patricia Davis, Beverly Adams, and members of Real Life Ministries and Trinity Baptist Church who have offered their support and encouragement over the years.
And last, but certainly not least, I thank you, the reader, for getting to know these characters and traveling with them to a world not so different from our own. May their journeys inspire your journey.
Here’s wishing you abundant grace and new mercies every day.
In His Service,
Stacy