Hemlock Veils (47 page)
Authors: Jennie Davenport
Tags: #fairy tale retelling, #faranormal, #Romance, #Fantasy, #Suspense, #Supernatural
I tuck the notecard back to my breast and decide to speak from my heart, hoping I don’t miss any names in the process. That’s how I’ve always talked best anyway—from my heart. And everyone I’m acknowledging now is right there inside it, taking up a permanent and special place for making my dream come true.
There are many souls who took part in making this a reality, and first I want to start with my family. If it wasn’t for their support, I wouldn’t have been able to hide away so many hours and pound out this story. My children might be too young to really root for me, but my love for them has taken my heart to places it never would have reached without them, and
that
has been my greatest inspiration. Thank you to my husband, who always believed I could do it, even when I didn’t think I could. He never doubted.
I have to mention Hemlock Veil’s first ever reader. When I started writing this story, I did so with the intent that no one else would see it. When I finished it though, and realized how badly I needed others to enjoy it too, I sent it to my very best friend. I was incredibly nervous, and half-expected her to come back and say, “You were right; this is crap.” But she said the opposite, and told me I
had
to get it published someday. Chloe wasn’t just my first reader, consult, and cheerleader, but she is also doing a painting for the book that will be available for readers. Thank you for your support
and
talent, Chloe. I love that you’ve been such a part of this process with me.
Along that same line, I want to thank that small handful of people who read it next: Jessica, Brooke, Cindi, and Mike. There are others, too, who read it over time, and all helped me bring this story closer to publication, step by step. Your advice and feedback were invaluable and crucial.
My dearest writer friends in my Twitter writing clan (you know who you are): you have helped in molding me into the person and author I am now, and your acceptance and love for me and my talents will never go unappreciated. Kele, you were perhaps the best beta of all. You offered me vital suggestions and advice on this story, as well as on the sequel, and the changes I made from our brainstorming are, I think, what finally put it past the line of just “acceptable.” I will always be indebted to you for offering your friendship, support, and expertise with these stories.
To all those in this industry who offered criticism and rejection (and there were a
lot
), I say thank you. Your many rejections—especially those with personal responses as to
why
it was rejected—are what ultimately got me looking at my work with a more critical eye. They gave me that much more determination to get it right, and get it in the hands of the masses.
Thank you to the most fabulous editor in the world, Mandy Schoen, for being the one to discover me in a pitch contest on Twitter last year. It was your intrigue and interest—and your eager request for my manuscript—that got all this rolling. Not only were you the one to bring me into the Swoon Romance family, but you have been so amazing to work with during the editorial process. You have loved and respected Hemlock Veils as
my
story, and your help has been priceless. Thank you to all the staff of Swoon who has worked together in making this a possibility.
Lastly, I have to thank my agent, Beth Campbell. Beth found me around the same time as Mandy. The timing aligned and everything fell into place quite perfectly. Thank you for believing in me and my story—even though paranormal romance was a hard sell for the market at the time. You stuck with me and worked hard to make sure I was taken care of and that I got the best deal.
I wouldn’t be here without any of you, and many others unnamed. You all rock my fairytale-loving world.
JENNIE DAVENPORT
When Jennie isn’t trying to run her home with as few casualties as possible, she loves snuggling with her family and pets, laughing with her friends, delving into brilliant entertainment of any vein, and playing outside. Even before she began writing it, well-told, original, and character-driven romance was always her weak spot. Add the paranormal element, toss in a fairy tale retelling, and she may never make it back to reality.
Although writing is in her blood, and the wheels of her writerly mind are constantly turning, she likes to think that in another, more-extroverted life, she would have been a Broadway star. Or an American Idol finalist.
Jennie lives for the fall, and not just because of her adoration for the NFL. In her perfect world, she would have the springs, summers, and falls of Colorado, and the winters of her native Arizona—someplace where the climate and weather would allow her to go on a trail run year-round. She might prefer the pines and mountains, but she is a devoted fan of all nature, and finds it has a magic all its own.
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