Dirty Work (21 page)

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SA TODAY Bestselling author
, Chelle Bliss, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She's a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She's written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, two cats, and her hamster.

Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.

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RENDA ROTHERT
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I couldn’t do this job without the team I have around me. They lift me up every day and help me stay focused.

Huge tackle hugs to my publicist Jessica Estep, my assistant Pam Million, editor Lisa Hollett, copy editor Taylor Bellitto, beta readers Janett Gomez, Chantal Gemperle, Renita McKinney, Michelle Eriksen and Michelle Follis. (Side note: Dirty Work started out as a very different story, but our beta readers helped us become so much better, and for that, we are grateful.)

Thanks to Pam Carrion and everyone in my reader group Rothert’s Readers for supporting and encouraging me every day.

When I was still a newish author, a blogger friend introduced me to Chelle Bliss through Facebook. She asked me for advice on her next project and then got to work on it. We became friends. There’s nothing more valuable in this business than true friends, and Chelle has always been one to me. When she became a USA Today Bestseller, I was thrilled to see it happen to such a hardworking, amazing person. Even though she could have co-written with another bestseller, she chose to co-write with me, and that means everything. That’s the kind of person she is. I’m her friend, and she never forgot me. Chelle is one of the most down-to-earth, generous and loyal people I know, and she’s also a gifted writer. Every time she sent me a new chapter, I dove in to read it, usually with a huge grin on my face. I couldn’t be prouder to have my name beside hers on the cover of Dirty Work.

And biggest thanks to you, dear reader, for taking a chance on this story. You may have wondered, ‘Will their voices work together?’ or ‘Do I REALLY want to read a book with politics in it, given that I see it 24/7 already on the news?’ But you did it. You took a chance and got to know Jude and Reagan and it means the world to us. Thank you so much.

CHELLE BLISS -

There are so many people that helped make Dirty Work possible. Although we wrote the words, it would’ve never been finished without the help of so many.

A ton of mushy kisses to my agent Kimberly Brower, editor Lisa Hollett, copy editor Taylor Bellitto, proofreaders Rosa Sharon and Kayla Kennedy, and beta readers Janett Gomez, Chantal Gemperle, Renita McKinney, Michelle Eriksen and Michelle Follis. Our betas were kickass and made us deliver the best story possible. We had 20,000 words written with a very different storyline, but decided to throw them out and start again after they gave us their feedback. I couldn’t be more happy with the final version of Dirty Work.

Thank you to Nita Banks for her support and creating a video for us to share on Facebook. You’re the cheerleader for so many and I’ll be thankful for your support.

Thanks to Michelle New for loving the story and creating some kickass graphics to help us promote the release of Dirty Work.

Sara Eirew - I thank you, but please stop taking so many amazing photos. I can only write so fast and my bank account isn’t happy with me sometimes.

I don’t even know what to say about Brenda Rothert. We’ve been friends for almost three years. She’s always my first phone call when I have a question. Her mind is amazing. When I decided I wanted to co-write a book, she was the first person that came to mind. Don’t let her fool you… she completely kicks ass. Whenever she’d message me to say that her chapter was done I’d run to my computer to read what she created and where she left me.

I’m what they call a ‘panster’. I never write an outline and never really have a clear idea of where they story is going to lead as I write. Brenda took it in stride and we winged the fuck out of this book. I can’t imagine writing it any other way. It was like a game and I waited on the edge of my chair to read her next words. She’s brilliant and I adore her.

And then there’s you… the reader.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I can’t say it enough. We’re blessed to be living our dreams as writers. Without you taking a chance on us, none of it would be possible. Thanks for reading a political novel in a year when politics dominates the news. I hope you loved Reagan and Jude as much as we did.

Thank you again for reading our little masterpiece.

Brenda and I aren’t done. We have plans for more. We even have a cover image. We’ve been sitting on it for months.
So be ready for more by CLICKING HERE and signing up for our newsletter.