Special Thanks To...
I barely know where to begin. There are many people who helped make this seemingly unattainable pipedream become a reality that one page on a website seems to not do justice.
JimSam, Inc. The words suddenly escape me. I contacted Marcia Freespirit at JimSam Publishing, Inc., sent her the manuscript of The Blue Brotherhood, and the rest, as they say, is history. Marcia- you held my hand all the way. It felt like I asked a million questions and you answered each one with nary the blink of an eye. It’s a big deal for someone like me to have found a publishing house willing to take a chance on a mean-looking girl from the Bronx, so from the bottom of my heart- I thank you. Samantha- you stood back and let me take the random picture in my head to paper and somehow you formed it into the ideal finale. This picture is the center of everything and I thank you. Michelle, the non-vacationing editor/advisor/perfectionist. You made it perfect. Thank you.
I would also like to give heartfelt thanks to: Ricky- for standing outside in twenty degree weather saluting an imaginary flag with nothing on but a t-shirt, posing for a thousand pictures: just because; Suzy- for always and forever being that friend; Dolls- for giving me that “You’d be an idiot if you didn’t do it” speech; Rick & Jolinda- for the kind of support that gives a home where there is none and funds where there are few; Anny, Jessica and Carina- for the backup, the jokes, the physical comedy, the fact that you not only understand my twisted humor but are able to match it with your own and last but not least, for the endless ideas you create without even knowing it; Kia- Wow. Only YOU can understand this ride right now. Without you, I can honestly say there’d have been no names to these characters, no life in the words and no breath in the story. You are my advisor, my co-author, my fellow-dreamer and my friend. You are my ‘Ambassador of Quan;’ and, My Husband- for never laughing; not once. Not even when it did seem like an unattainable pipedream.
And last, but never least, the Chubbies- for providing me with the laugh track that exists permanently in my head; for the way you sing in the car and the way you dance when you hear Michael Jackson; for the way you learned to love sitcom jingles just like me and the fact that you remember everything about the movies you’ve seen; for being the most ticklish human beings on the planet; for the wild stories you write and the nonsensical jokes you tell; for all of the unending hugs and kisses; for allowing me to be a passenger on this crazy ride of your lives; and now and forever, for every little thing that you do.
And to anyone and everyone supporting this book and all others to come-
A Million Thanks.
~
“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe,
shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”
~ John Jakes
