Thursday Nights (The Charistown Series) (37 page)

COMING SOON

The second book in
The Charistown Series

How do I begin to thank all of the people who have helped to make
Thursday Nights
possible? I guess, I’ll start at the beginning and work my way out. But please know that my gratitude in
no way
lessens as the list goes on.

While I have always loved writing, this journey truly began in the winter of 2012 when I started my blog, Lisa’s Reads. So, my first “thank you” goes to
Kristen Sewards
for not only setting up my website, but for dealing with all of the ridiculous questions I constantly called and e-mailed her with on an almost daily basis. Kristen, without you, there would have been no Lisa’s Reads. I am truly grateful for your time and your patience.

The most awesome thing happened following the start of my blog—I started to gain readers! I know it may sound silly to say, but I was overwhelmed by the acceptance and the positive feedback I received from the amazing people who were following my blog. I was amazed and humbled by each and every comment I received. So, thank you to every one of my Lisa’s Reads readers. You gave me the courage to continue to write and move forward to the next leg of my journey.

To my
Jodi
Frankel
– When life hit you over the head, you kept getting back up and laughing in its face! You are a strong and incredible woman. Your courage and ability to kick fear’s ass has taught me how to be a stronger woman and a better person. Our Thursday nights are the inspiration behind not only this book, but the entire series.
My life would suck without you!
Thank you for reading this story many, many times and for always showing enthusiasm for my thoughts and my characters.

Sharon Price
– If not for you, there literally wouldn’t be a book. “You should write a book!” you told me one morning after reading one of my blog posts. As always, I listened to you and did exactly that! Hee-hee!!! Your presence in my life has made it so much richer and fuller with love, happiness, and laughter. Thank you for always believing in me…even when I didn’t believe in myself. 

Michelle Mankin
– I met you in Chicago and knew then that you were going to be someone special in my world. From the first second I decided to go ahead with this
crazy
plan and write my story, you were my “Yellow Brick Road.” You have held my hand each step of the way and given me invaluable advice. Thank you so much for your guidance and patience.  I adore you.

To my beta readers
Lisa Jones Maurer, Cary Bruce, Kathy Sizemore, Jessica Hayes, and Lori Ramos
– What can I say to you ladies? You have been my saving grace! 

Lisa
– The amount of time and effort you put into beta reading was truly unbelievable! There aren’t enough strawberry chocolates in the world to thank you for your help. Your sense of humor kept me going when I felt like I was ready to throw the whole book out and start over! I truly love you!

Cary
– You jumped in to this project as a favor to a mutual “friend,” and you gave me everything you had! I am eternally grateful for all of your help. Your input was invaluable. So much so that you are officially stuck with me for the rest of the ride! *wink*

 
Kathy
– You are my soul sister! I knew we were meant to be when I “met” you through my blog. Thank you for your valuable input on my story. You are one of the very few to have been
 fortunate enough to have read
TN
from the very first draft.  God love you, girl! Thanks for sticking it out with me! I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Jessica
– You were always right on top of things, offering great feedback and telling me when things didn’t make sense. For a writer, that feedback is even more important than the positive. You helped me make my story better, and I am eternally grateful! 

Lori
– Your feedback posed a question that I had never thought of, and because of you we now know that Danny’s on Main is closed on Sunday’s.  *wink* That may sound like a small detail, but we both know how big the small details can be. So, thank you!

Not only am I not embarrassed to admit it, but I am proud to say that I do tend to judge a book by its cover. *Protects head from flying tomatoes* That being said, I am and will always be eternally grateful to
Sarah Hansen
of Okay Creations. She listened to what I wanted for my cover and then made me the most beautiful design I could have imagined. I love it, Sarah, and I can’t wait to work with you again in the future.

The part of the cover that most authors tend to dislike is writing the blurb on the back. I found it extremely difficult to sum up my entire story in just a few short paragraphs, and that’s when
L.B. Simmons
(
Sparky
) entered my life. She was one of the first people to read my story from start to finish. Her kind and supportive words made me giddy. And when I asked L.B. to help me with my blurb, she accepted the challenge without hesitation and helped me to craft what I am proud to say is the back cover of
Thursday Nights
. She then stepped up again, when the editing process was kicking my butt and spent countless hours helping me work through sentences that needed some…
spark
. Thank you so much, L.B. I am so happy to know you, and I can’t wait to finally be in your presence. (And I owe you BIG time!!)

To
John Dolaway
– You have no idea how much of Danny’s character came from hanging out with you. Every time we entered your bar it felt like we were walking into Cheers.  You are a fun friend with a warm heart. Thanks for all of our Thursday nights!

To my editor,
Danielle Poiesz––
thank you for all of your help in this process.  You have taught me lessons I will never forget.

To
Robyn Petrilli
– I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened to
Thursday
Nights
without you.  (I shiver at the thought!) Thank you so much for your keen eye and your amazing skill.  I will NEVER doubt your proofreading skills…
ever again
!

To “
The Writer’s Club
” – You have been supportive, inspirational, an outlet for frustration, and a huge source of comic relief. Thank you for including me in your world. I don’t know what I would have done without each and every one of you during this process.

Thanks to
Brandee Veltri
from
Brandee’s Book Endings
for all of the work you are doing to spread the word about
Thursday Nights
. I am so happy that we met in Chicago. I can’t wait to see you again. Thanks in advance to all of the blogs that are taking the time to add this book to their blog tours, too. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks to
JT Formatting
– without you
Thursday Nights
would still be in Word Doc form.  Your help and guidance was invaluable.

To all of the people I constantly bothered with endless questions (this is an ongoing list, so I am so sorry if I forget to mention your name—shoot me an email, and I will mention you in book 2, I promise!):
Kyla Linde, Lisa Maurer, Julie Titus, Sharon Price, Gail McHugh, Jessica Hayes, Kathy Sizemore, Toni Pirrello,
and
Shannon Stephens.

To
my family
– Both of blood and marriage (or, in my case, luck), I am truly so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. You have each taught me how to be a better person. I am who I am because of you. The time we spend together is unforgettable and irreplaceable. Thank you for standing behind me during this process. I love you.

To my husband –
Jon
, I honestly don’t know how I could have done this without you. In fact, I know for certain that I couldn’t have. From the first second I told you I was going to write a book, you stepped aside and let me do my
thing
. You have believed in me, supported me, and loved me during this entire journey. You literally became both the dad and the mom to our children on many, many occasions when my face was stuck behind the computer screen. You may not be a reader, but you have always been a believer.  You have stood next to me and held my hand. You have whispered encouragement (even if it was through your snoring). I love you so much. Thank you for everything.

To
my boys
– You will most likely
never
read this. But know that I love you, and I am so proud to be your mom. I am really sorry for any future embarrassment this story brings you.

XO,

Lisa

Lisa Paul
is a mother, daughter, sister, friend, reader, writer, blogger, and self-proclaimed comedian—just not always in that order. Ever since she was a little girl, she has devoured books. Falling in love with the Sweet Valley High series at a young age drew Lisa to series books and inspired her to write her own.
Thursday Nights
is the first book in her Charistown series. When not writing, Lisa can be found eating french fries and Godiva raspberry truffles, or hanging out with her husband and two sons. Visit her blog at
http://www.lisasreads.com
and her website,
http://www.Lisanpaul.com

Read on for a preview of L. B. Simmons’ new title,