Salvation (73 page)

“No problem, Mr. Blake.” Jayden Ross was one of my best employees. Discreet, reliable and trustworthy. A man who had become a friend as much as anything. He swung out of the space and headed back to the city. “Shall I take you home?”

Home? My home was about to take off, be flown further away from me with every breath I took. If she wasn’t with me, I was homeless. A drifter, with nothing to anchor me. Only one place could ease the discomfort in my chest, fill the hollow space in my soul. I rolled my head back to the headrest and shut my eyes on a deep sigh.

“Take me to Kara’s place.”

Nate and Kara's story will conclude in Book 2 of the Heal Me series.

Where do I start?

Family. Goes without saying. To my husband and children — thank you for your unconditional love, and for happily coming on this wild, crazy ride of writing with me. I would never have been able to write this book if it wasn’t for your support, encouragement and patience. This story consumed me, and you just went with the flow. You put up with the piles of laundry, uncooked dinners and an untidy house without any complaint. You sacrificed wife and mummy time without any grumbles (okay, maybe a few, but that’s allowed). I love you. And yes, husband, you can now finally read my book…

I have to thank the rest of my family, even though they have no idea I’ve been writing this. One day you may find out my alter ego…if that happens, please don’t be too shocked. Behind every innocent looking face is a naughty person waiting to escape.

To my wonderful beta readers — thank you for providing such insightful feedback, for reading my rewrites, and for doing it all in such a timely manner. You were the first people in the world to read this story, and I’m so pleased that you loved it as much as I hoped you would. You helped shape Salvation into the novel it is today.

To my cover designer, Emmy at Cover Me Designs. You are the most patient woman in the world. I don’t think it’s a lie when I say this cover took at least six months to reveal itself. You tolerated my indecision, my numerous title changes, my visions, and still smiled through it all. I guess it helped that I used great words to describe what I envisioned (shimmery lights, see through fonts are just a few examples), but you knew exactly what I meant, and taught me a few new words along the way. You summed it all up perfectly when you said, “It’s like choosing a wedding dress. When you see it, you’ll know it’s the one.” Well, you were right. I loved this cover the second I saw it. Thank you for your hard work and creativity. You’re the best.

A massive thank you to Paula at Passionate Promotions. You went above and beyond what I expected when I approached you. Proofreading, editing, synopsis writing, cover choosing, promotion — you helped with it all. When I was full of doubt, your words of encouragement and support were invaluable in picking me up. I know how crazy busy you are, yet even with injuries and a thousand other commitments, you worked tirelessly to get this book out there. I look forward to working together again and hope we remain friends for a long time. In the meantime, I’ll see you in that line for Nate, right behind me…

To all the amazing authors, writers and bloggers I’ve connected with through social media, thank you for being such an inspiration. On days when I felt like throwing it all in, you lifted me up with silly quotes, virtually shared cocktails and countless pictures of sexy men. That never fails. Please send more (sexy men, especially).

Finally, the biggest thank you to you — yes, you — for picking up this novel (or 1-clicking, depending on your preferences) and taking a chance on an unknown author. I hope this story consumes you as much as it has me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Most days, you’ll find Stephanie John on a yacht, wearing a very skimpy bikini, drinking champagne, eating chocolate and never gaining weight.

When she isn’t asleep and dreaming, in real life you’re more likely to find her at the school gates, wearing whatever she dragged on that morning, drinking copious amounts of coffee. She still eats chocolate, though — everyone has their vices, right?

Somehow, amidst the chaos of full-time mummy duties, she manages to write. Contemporary romance has always been her favourite genre to read for as long as she can remember (age-appropriate, of course).

Never in a million years did it occur to her to write one of her own. Now, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Connect with Stephanie:

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author does not own the rights to any products, names and song titles mentioned in this novel, which have all been used without permission.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior permission in writing from the author.

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