To continue reading, click here.
First and always, to the readers—When I started publishing in 2013, I feel like I stuck to a formula. I wanted to please people, they liked what I did last time, so I went with what worked. And some readers did like it. After all, it’s nice to know what you can rely on with a writer when you’re in the mood for more of whatever you liked from them last time.
I quickly realized I wasn’t happy, though. I wasn’t growing, and I was bored. So, I dug deep and let my imagination run, building Corrupt （Devil’s Night #1） like I built Bully, a parfait of everything I loved and owning my personality in the process. Corrupt ended up rubbing so many readers the wrong way. But…it’s also many readers’ favorite book, too.
That, I realized, was worth something.
I think my biggest fear as a writer is getting into a position where I’m turning out forgettable books like an assembly line every six weeks. I know with some of you I can be unpredictable, and that’s not necessarily a virtue. So thank you. To those of you who read my stories and come back to read more. I hope that you always know that whatever I write for you came as a result of a lot time and love and dreaming. It was special to me, and I had the best of intentions. Always.
xoxo Pen
Now on to the rest…
To my family—my husband and daughter put up with my crazy schedule, my candy wrappers, and my spacing off every time I think of a conversation, plot twist, or scene that just jumped into my head at the dinner table. You both really do put up with a lot, so thank you for your patience.
To Jane Dystel, my agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC—there is absolutely no way I could ever give you up, so you’re stuck with me.
To the PenDragons—you’re my happy place on Facebook. Thanks for being the support system I need and always being positive. Especially to the hard-working admins: Adrienne Ambrose, Tabitha Russell, Tiffany Rhyne, Kristi Grimes, and Lee Tenaglia.
To Vibeke Courtney—my indie editor who goes over every move I make with a fine-toothed comb. Thank you for teaching me how to write and laying it down straight.
To all the wonderful readers, especially on Instagram, who make art for the books and keep us all excited, motivated, and inspired…thank you for everything! I love your vision.
To all of the bloggers and bookstagrammers—there are too many to name, but I know who you are. I see the posts and the tags, and all the hard work you do. You spend your free time reading, reviewing, and promoting, and you do it for free. You are the life’s blood of the book world, and who knows what we would do without you. Thank you for your tireless efforts. You do it out of passion, which makes it all the more incredible.
To T. Gephart, who takes the time to check on me and see if I need a shipment of “real” Aussie Tim Tams. （Always!）
And to B.B. Reid, KD Kimberly Carrillo, and Charleigh Rose for reading, being positive, and being my bouncing board.
To every author and aspiring author—thank you for the stories you’ve shared, many of which have made me a happy reader in search of a wonderful escape and a better writer, trying to live up to your standards. Write and create, and don’t ever stop. Your voice is important, and as long as it comes from your heart, it is right and good.