The Rose Bride (26 page)

W
ith
gratitude to my acquiring editor, Emily Follas, and my inspiring editor, Sangeeta Mehta. Thank you so much, Sangeeta, for lavishing your time and attention on the garden of my story. You truly brought the roses to life.

And with deepest thanks to: Howard Morhaim, and his assistant, Katie Menick; my webmaster, Sam Devol; my local computer guru, Eugene Son, and Ashley McConnell, my dear friend. Abbie Bernstein, Karen Hackett, Linda Wilcox, Amy Schricker, and Beth Hogan. Susi Frant, Kym Rademacher, Terri Yates, Christi Holt, Margie Morel, Barbara Nierman, Ellen Greenfield, Pam Escobedo, Monica Elrod, and Liz Cratty. Craig Miller, and the fabulous Children’s Programming at LACon IV: Amelia Sefton, Dana Ginsberg, Tanya Olsen, and Alison Stern. Charlotte Fullerton, Lisa Morton, and Ricky Grove. My dear Yayas: Leslie Jones Ackel, Anny Caya, Lucy Walker, and Belle, always and forever my Belle. Elise Jones, Sandra Morehouse, and Richard and Skylah Wilkinson.
Domo arigato gozaimasu
, Kuniko and Mahlon Craft. A butterfly kiss to sweet LJW. Thank you for tending
Bonnie Charlie: Doug Winter and Tom and Elizabeth MacDonald. To Steve Jones, for sitting down and really listening. Thank you, Andy Thompson, and everyone at Family Karate: Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit. And to Brian Vernia, Belle’s wonderful fourth grade teacher—I am forever in your debt.

N
ANCY
H
OLDER
has more than seventy-eight books and two hundred short stories to her credit. Her books for Simon Pulse include the Wicked series and another book in the Once Upon a Time series,
Spirited
. Nancy also recently published the novel
Pretty Little Devils
. She lives in San Diego with her daughter, Belle, and far too many animals. Visit
www.nancyholder.com
.