The Dawn of a Dream (36 page)

When I started writing this book, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. Many people answered questions without laughing at my lack of knowledge. Donna Abraham, of Abraham’s Lady in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, explained how much fabric was required to create the voluminous garments women wore in the late 1850s. Nancy Shaner, one of my readers living near the fictional community of Beldon Grove in Illinois, responded in detail to my questions about the history and natural features of that part of the country. Thank you, Nancy! Thanks, too, to Deborah Vogts for supplying me with information about Kansas. Medical questions were answered by two fellow members of American Christian Fiction Writers, Ronda Wells, MD, and Anne Love, NP. If I got any facts wrong, it’s my fault, not theirs.

And speaking of ACFW, many thanks to the members who specialize in nineteenth-century information. What a blessing you are.

I’m grateful to my critique partners, Bonnie Leon, Diane Gardner, Billy Cook, Julia Ewert, B. J. Bassett, and Judy Gann, for unsparingly pointing out areas that needed attention in my chapters. Special thanks to Sarah Schartz and Sarah Sundin, who went the extra mile by offering to critique the final portion of the book over the Christmas holidays. I’m in your debt.

My husband, Richard, has supported my writing since day one. Having a wife who’s more preoccupied with imaginary friends than putting dinner on the table can’t be easy. God truly blessed me when he brought us together.

Working with my editor, Vicki Crumpton, along with Barb Barnes, Michele Misiak, and the entire team at Revell, has been a joy. Your love of the Lord and your encouraging words keep me going.

Hugs to my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray. I so appreciated your prayers while I worked to complete this story during a family crisis. You’re always there with guidance and counsel. Thank you.

I never forget there’s not a word on the page that the Lord didn’t first put into my mind. To God be the glory.

Ann Shorey
has been a story collector for most of her life. Her writing has appeared in
Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul
, and in the Adams Media Cup of Comfort series. She made her fiction debut with
The Edge of Light
, released in January 2009. When she’s not writing, she teaches classes on historical research, story arc, and other fiction fundamentals at regional conferences. Ann
lives with her husband, Richard, in Oregon.
The Dawn of a Dream
is the third book in her At Home in Beldon Grove series.

Contact Ann through her website at
www.annshorey.com
.

Books by Ann Shorey

At Home in Beldon Grove

The Edge of Light

The Promise of Morning

The Dawn of a Dream