Some Kind of Normal (35 page)

~~~~

Many thanks go to Dee Justesen and the people at
NorLightsPress for taking a chance on this story and me. I feel so
privileged to be among this group: authors, editors, and publishing
staff alike. NorLightsPress is a shooting star, and I am honored to
be along for the ride! Thanks to my editor, Nadene Carter, for
reading with an eagle eye and for always encouraging me when I
needed it most.

I owe a large thanks to the extraordinary writing
group that is 4Corners. To Jen Blom, Heidi Yantzi, Brit Lary, Erin
Halm, Kerri O'Connell and Marcia Keyser, there are no words to
express how much you mean to me. Thank you for the many times
you've read this, for your critiques, suggestions, and
encouragement. But mostly for the friendships. I look forward to
many more toasts at the beach house!

Thank you, Tommy Hague, for asking the question that
started this whole process. Without you, I might have forgotten the
dream.

Thanks to my parents, Rollin and Diana Van
Broekhoven, for raising me to believe I could do and be whatever I
wanted, and for seeing in me the writer I sometimes lost sight of.
You are the best parents a girl could have!

Thank you, Gretchen, for being one of my first
readers and for calling me while reading it to say, "That's exactly
what it's like!"

Thanks to the scores of parents who opened their
hearts to help me understand what it feels like to be the parent of
a diabetic child. Your stories of diagnosis, hospitals, comas,
worries, and 504s give Babs's experiences authenticity, and I hope
I did justice to the struggles you face each day.

Most of all, thank you to my family: to Todd, Ian,
Emily and Adalyne. You sacrificed more than I'd care to recall to
help me chase my dream. This book is your accomplishment as much as
it is mine. I love you all!