The Gladiator's Mistress (Champions of Rome) (30 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” As the mother of three, I agree. Just as parents need support, so do writers. My writer’s journey has taken years, and along the way I’ve been blessed to receive help from many. There are so many, in fact, that I could never thank everyone personally. But to all my friends who ask, “How’s the book going?” I am forever grateful.

A huge thank-you goes to Lisa Burke for your unwavering support, encouragement, and friendship. I don’t know what I would do without you. Thanks, also, for reading several drafts of this book and your enlightening and honest feedback.

Thanks to Carol Henry, Betsy Garufi, Judy Goldschmidt, Kim Kunkle, Gary Ingraham, and Jim McCarthy for your help as this book traveled from idea to draft to final copy. Thank you also to Jill Shultz for a final read and your wonderful insights.

An important stop on my writer’s journey was Wilkes University, where I received my MA. These acknowledgments would be incomplete without sharing my appreciation for the entire faculty of the Creative Writing program. You all inspire through word, deed, and action. Thanks also to my cohort, who read the opening of this book and helped me find the story. A special thank-you goes to the best mentor in the world, Bev Donofrio. The lessons I learned from you will stay with me always. Another special thanks to Ken Vose and Ross Klavan for being so darn fabulous, and for all the writerly advice you’ve shared over the years.

Thanks to all the folks in Ithaca Fiction Writers—Virginia, Marie, Doreen, Lisa, Eric, Kara, Barb, Phillip, and Gerda. You all
rock
! I would not be where I am today without you.

Thank you also to my amazing agent, Chris Tomasino, for believing in me and this book. Thanks to Ruth Vandevanter for your help as this book went out into the world. To all the wonderful folks at Montlake, especially Hai-Yen Mura, Irene Billings, Melody Guy, and the entire editorial, art, and marketing teams—thank you!

To Jessica Dubey: For five years you have graciously read every word I’ve written and listened to every idea that has popped into my head. You’ve offered me advice, counseling, cosmopolitans, and most important—your friendship. For all that and more, thank you.

I don’t know where the next leg of my writer’s journey will take me, but I cannot imagine better traveling companions than all of you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Having penned her first book at age eight, Jen Bokal has always been a lover of the written word. In 2003 she decided to turn her avocation into a vocation, and from that time on there has been no looking back. Jen is the author of several short stories, poems, and feature articles. She was also the relationship columnist for
Suite
e-zine from 2005 to 2008. Her first novel,
Celtic Heart
, was published in 2007.

In 2010 Jen graduated from Wilkes University with a master of arts in creative writing. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America.

What Jen enjoys most about writing romance is that the alpha males in her books mostly do what she wants them to do. Having been married to an alpha male herself for twenty years, she knows how rare and wonderful that is. Jen and her manly husband live in upstate New York with their three beautiful daughters, two aloof cats, and two very spoiled dogs.

Jen invites you to visit her on Facebook at
Jennifer D. Bokal Author
, or follow her on Twitter
@jenbokal
.