My Heart is Yours (26 page)

Amanda is a bit of a chocoholic and is slightly
obsessed with office supplies. She has many ideas for stories so
keep an eye out for more work from her.

http://www.authoramandaleigh.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaLeigh

https://twitter.com/APenAndADream

https://www.youtube.com/user/AmandaLeighYA

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6426366.Amanda_Leigh

Other Books by Amanda Leigh

Thousands of Mornings: Original Photography
and Poetry (June 2012)

Holiday Hospital Stay Poetry Collection 2012:
Original Poetry Inspired by My 2012 Holiday Hospital Stay (July
2013)

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E
ven though writing a
book is often a solitary experience there are always people to
thank. There are the people who are just always there. Family,
friends, my stepmom, my dad. There are the people who are in that
category and have let you bounce ideas off of them and talk
endlessly about your character’s issues, backgrounds, favorite
colors and so on and so forth. Or when you have to figure out how
to fix a plot hole or a mistake in the timeline (especially in a
book like this). Even to just have family and friends who support
you in your writing journey is difficult, so if you have people who
also put up with your crazy babble you’re doubly blessed.

Now, there are always people who get those extra
special shout outs. To my mom, for always being there, listening to
my babble, helping me do the final spelling and grammar edits on
this book, and helping with my books past.

To Jennifer Weiser, who has become my critique
partner, writer friend and friend. You have been wonderful and I’m
so glad that we got to connect. Thank you for reading this
manuscript and giving me your feedback. I can’t tell you how much
it means to me that you loved it. All of the good things that
you’ve said about this story mean oh so much to me. And I’m so glad
that you’re excited for my next book, too. I will always be there
to read for you.

So, I must thank Rachel Harris. If not for her Flirt
Squad, Jenn and I would have never connected. Thank you to Rachel
Harris for starting that wonderful group! Thank you for supporting
all of us who are in that group and just being so supportive in
general! And thank you for answering that question that I had about
Point of View! Also, for writing terrific books! To the Flirt
Squad, you all are also wonderful! Thank you for your support and
for just generally being great!

To Ryan, thank you for reading My Heart is Yours and
giving me feedback. And just for being there through this crazy
journey of being an author.

To Trisha Wolfe. I can’t write an acknowledgements
section without thanking you. You have been so great and so
supportive. You’ve been someone to talk to and ask questions and
you share a lot of my posts from my Facebook author page. I’m so
glad that I joined the Tuff Girl Legion. It’s a great group and I
have so much fun there. I love posting teasers from my next book.
It really helped boost my confidence to read your comments on it.
As with the Flirt Squad and Rachel Harris, without the Tuff Girl
Legion and Trisha Wolfe, this journey would not have been the
same.

Mia Rivers, Theresa Troutman: you’ve been there to
have fun with throughout this journey, too. Victoria Scott, you
were one of the first people that gave me advice and the one who
helped me make a decision to start a blog. (Even if you had no idea
that you did, you did). To any other authors or bloggers et cetera
who have been with me throughout this journey, thank you. Whether
it was participating in the cover reveal for this book, posting a
review of one of my first two books, hosting me for a guest post
(At The Cool Table), tagging me in one of those blog hops or
tagging me in the lucky seven game or sneak peek sunday, asking if
you could review this book for your blog or just being there
throughout the journey.

To Yulia, thank you for reading very early drafts
and always giving me feedback. To Katie, Hannah, Aasma, Nicole,
Shannon and Emily, thank you for listening to ideas and even
reading snippets at times. Thank you for being excited about my
writing. To Katie Elizabeth, thank you for all of that time spent
during our free periods in high school talking about this book. We
spent a lot of time talking about what might happen, which
direction the book should go in and working out possible endings.
Thank you for that. Even if the ending didn’t end up exactly as we
discussed in eleventh grade. Thank you, really.

To Dee Little. Thank you for being supportive,
hosting me on your blog and for that wonderful five star review of
my first book. And to anyone else who has read one of my first two
books.

To Tana, for being so enthusiastic about having a
book signing at your restaurant. Thank you for everything.

To Kacey at WHUD, thank you for interviewing me on
the radio station. I still can’t believe that I was interviewed on
a radio station.

To Mrs. Cohen, Ms. Paressi, Ms. Sulsky, Mrs. Travis,
Dr. Collins, Dr. Poe, Professor Bryant, thank you for teaching me
about writing and critiquing my work. To my workshop classes, thank
you, also. To Ms. Cavelleri, for being so determined to teach me
how to read. Mrs. Baressi, you taught me about art as opposed to
writing but you were supportive of my writing, too. And art has
also become an important part of my life. To any teacher and anyone
who ever took an interest in my writing, thank you.

Of course, to Tommy and Lois, for showing my mom and
I how to self-publish. And for interviewing me on your blog talk
radio channel.

To anyone who picks this up, writes a review, enjoys
it, loves my characters, et cetera, thank you, too. It means so
much to me.

***