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Long Shot Page 42

by Kennedy Ryan


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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I’m grateful to so many, but I MUST start with Paula and Natalie. The two of you became the face and spirit of survival for me. Hearing your stories inspired and empowered me to write this book. Your hearts are on every page, and you were with me every step of Iris’s journey.

You are #ChangeYourCourse!!

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My tribe is wide and deep. I’m sure I’m overlooking many, but the ones I can think of right now in my release daze are Dylan (#Bestie), Nana, Emma (#TeamHeavy), Kate, Stephanie (#PaperBag), Adriana (#GripzQueen), Ginger, Corinne, Leigh (cover BOSS!), Mandi, Chele (#MyHeart), Imani (My MEGAPHONE), Brittany, Margie (#DayOne), Melissa, Sara. To my beta boos - Jx PinkLady, Terilyn, Shelley & Christy. Thank you for reading this book before it was its best and helping me to get it there. Melissa, my PA, for putting up with my idiosyncrasies and list of ever-growing demands. Jenn and the Social Butterfly team. I know I’m extra, but you never make me feel weird for 3am PMs or last-minute ideas. Love you for that. Special thanks to Lucy Score and Kathryn Nolan for reading super early and giving me such incredible, insightful, constructive feedback. You really helped me navigate this touchy terrain so well, and I’ll never forget it. Thanks to Lauren for your AH-MAZING editing superpowers, and to Tricia for the eagle eye-ness and all the squeals in the margins. :-)

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Thank you to the readers in Kennedy Ryan Books! You guys are my favorite place online, and I stalk YOU!!! Thank you for all the unwavering support and love you give me.

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To every person who has messaged me, emailed me, tagged me on an Instagram or Twitter post over the last year shouting about my books, thank you. Sometimes I feel like the things I write are an acquired taste. Every book feels like a new set of risks. You are my people. You “get” me and keep taking these rides with me off the beaten book path.

I love you for that.

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Last, but certainly, not least.

To MY baller.

My husband, who shared with me his love for the game. Who answered all my basketball questions patiently and so enthusiastically, I had to shut you up. LOL! Who puts up with my screeching and hair-pulling when Golden State is losing. And my histrionics when my Tar Heels win.

You’re my best friend,

and I’d “play you at the five.”

About the Author

A RITA® Award Winner and USA Today Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.

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Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and many others. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but has a special passion for raising Autism awareness.The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for ASD families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.