Beyond the Orange Moon (Mathews Family Book 2) (42 page)

To my father and step mother, Don and Cathy, thank you for always showing me that possibilities are endless. I don’t believe I would fight as hard as I do if I didn’t have you to always remind me of how far I can go.

To my brother Maury and sister in-law Rochelle, sometimes it’s nice to see myself through your eyes, especially on days when I really need it. For little girls, a hero usually begins with a father and a big brother. Maury, you are still and always will be one of my heroes. For as long as I can remember and even to this day, I feel pride when I say that you are my big brother. Thank you for blessing me with Rochelle who is the best sister in-law a girl could ever ask for. Thank you for giving me three beautiful nieces and one perfect nephew…and two great-nephews (holy moly).

Oh, my sister, my best friend…Christian, there are no words to describe what I have with you, but I’ll try. Whether you are sitting right next to me or on the other side of the country, you are always in my heart. Thank you for giving me a superb brother in-law. Mike, you made my sister whole. Thank you for loving her and being her other half. I’ve never seen her smile so big. Thank you to both of you for some pretty fantastic nephews. They are three miracles, unique in every way, and they warm my heart with every silly thing they do.

To my sister, Karen, my Shicken, my secret keeper, and constant BFF, hot damn! We have an amazing story, don’t we? You are in every tale that I tell and you are the reason for a lot of my laughter. I think my life would be incredibly dull if I hadn’t met you. Most people don’t ever get to say that they made their best friend their sister, but WE DO. It has been an honor to be your friend, and it was an even greater honor to watch your precious mother marry my father. I love you 4 EVA.

Shannon, my baby sister, my little one, I would still fist fight anyone who messed with you. Thank you for sharing your little family with me. Your dear hubby, Brandon, and your four precious babies all complete me in ways I will never be able to explain.

Christa, Ali, Frank (Bubby) and Ashley, thank you for being in my life. You are part of every memory and every smile. Thank you for my nieces and nephews, for all of my embarrassing secrets that you keep, and for still making me laugh to this day. It’s been too long since we’ve all been in one place. I hope someday that changes.
 

To my darling in-laws, Carol, Tom, Matty, Mitch, Mallory and Dustin, I don’t know how I made it without you for the first twenty-one years of my life. You all have given me so much; you love me as if I had been born into your group and that is worth a thousand forms of gratitude. You fill me up, to put it simply.

To the Souden, Edwards, Schirr, and Stange families, I adore you all; thank you for the memories and great laughs. Aunt Marcie and my dear cousin, Marki, man it’s good to share blood with you fantastic ladies. We are related through and through. Whatever God was doing when he connected us, I’m positive that he did it for a reason.
 

To my precious Ballaghs, Milams, Ocwiejas, Rouses, and Wojciechowskis, yours are the friendships that I could never go without. To Ashley, Amanda, and Ron, I would not have done this without you. It was you three who made me take that step. Thank you. To our brilliant leader, Sherry, and the fabulous consultants at the Oakland University Writing Center, THANK YOU!

To my fearless publisher, Jillian Dodd, the ever-patient Beth Suit, and the entire Bandit team, you have truly made my dreams come true. Thank you for the brainstorming, conference calls, and for filling the holes in my plots. My writing would be lost without you.
 

There are always those people you come across in your life and you wonder, “
Is this person somehow related to me? Why are we so alike?”
Steph Nuss, that person is you, my dear. I swear I knew you in another life. Thank you for always answering my call. You listen to every rant and you are always there to make me laugh. I love taking this journey with you; I can’t wait to see where it ends up.

To Holli Buck, Krista Arnold, Aimee Pachorek, Mandy Morgan, Leslie Logan, Mandie Robinson, Georgette Geras-Waters, Kenzie Dodd, and Kayla McCoy, it is an honor to know that such fabulous women read my work. Thank you for your boosts of confidence and endless support. To Brandee from Brandee’s Book Endings, thank you for your hard work and dedication in getting my books out there. To Erin from the Autumn Review, you were there from the beginning, and I can never thank you enough.
 

Michelle from Indie Book Covers, once again, you amaze me with your extraordinary talent. Thank you for always making my covers so beautiful.

To the Queen of cupcakes, Stefani Hope Pollack, thank you for allowing me to rummage through your blog.
 

I owe a lot of gratitude to all reviewers and bloggers who take the time to spread the word for authors. Without these wonderful people, many novels would go unnoticed in today’s tough literary competition. So, a very special thanks to all of the reviewers who have helped me along the way. I would be utterly lost, drowning in a sea of novels, if you didn’t take the time to spread the word. Thank you!

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NEVER THE LEAST, THANK YOU TO ALL THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE READERS; I AM SO THANKFUL TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOU.

About the Author

Adrienne Frances spends her time as a writing consultant at a university near her home.
 

In her spare time, she loves to be with her husband and two sons, who have made her exactly who she is today.
 

Writing is a passion that she has appreciated for as long as she can remember.
 

She believes that a wild imagination is a terrible thing to waste and should be captured and brought to life by all that are blessed to have one.

Follow Adrienne on her
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