The English Boys (27 page)

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to everyone who helped and encouraged me as I wrote
The English Boys
:

My fabulous agent, Victoria Skurnick, believed in me and brought out my best.

The wonderful editors, publicists, and crew at Midnight Ink: Terri Bischoff, Amy Glaser, Sandy Sullivan, Katie Mickschl, and so many others made this process rewarding and fun.

Dear friends Lori Naufel, Cindy Gross, Leslie Purcell, and my Book Club girls cheered my progress along the way.

My grandmother fostered my love of books and reading. She put a copy of
David Copperfield
in my hands when I was young and continued to guide me through a very English literary education, sharing her own poetry with me and encouraging my desire to write. After she passed away, my aunt took over, and we formed our own book club of two. I miss you both and owe you a debt of thanks.

To my wonderful family, particularly my daughters, whose abilities helped elevate my writing and made this book possible. As first readers, Caitlin's finely tuned literary instincts and Heather's sharp editing skills made the book stronger than ever. I'm proud to be the mother of two such talented young women.

And special thanks to my husband, Will Thomas, a great writer, whose love and encouragement mean the world to me; without them I could never have written this novel.

About the Author

Julia Thomas (Oklahoma) is a graduate of Northeastern State University and an educator.
The English Boys
is her debut novel.