Suffer Love (30 page)

To my agent, the amazing Rebecca Podos, who loved this book so much you helped me love it even more: From that first phone call, you made this story better and this entire process feel like an adventure. Thank you for supporting me at every phase and for fielding my panicked emails with finesse and humor. I could not ask for a better champion.

To my editor, Elizabeth Bewley, who understood my vision for Hadley and Sam, believed in it, and helped me communicate their story in the best way possible: Thank you for talking through that one pesky character with me until we got her right, for your wisdom and passion for this book, for knowing when to push and when to pull back, and for bringing me into such a wonderful family. Thanks to the whole team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

To Destiny Cole, my first reader, first champion, first
everything
on this wild journey: You believed I could get here and you listened to me rant and rave during every peak and valley along the way. Thank you for helping to make
Suffer
Love
presentable and for your infectious optimism.

Miranda Kenneally, thank you for the early read and the query rescue. Those three hundred words really would've been the end of me without your generosity.

Thanks to my wonderful writer community and everyone at SCBWI Midsouth, which is chock-full of the best people I've ever known: Courtney Stevens, for the early read, words of encouragement, and for inviting me into the fold. My critique group—Sarah Brown, Paige Crutcher, and Lauren Thoman—your constant faith inspires me every day. Thanks for the words, the wine, the laughter, occasional tears and terror-stricken emails, Zac Efron GIFs for all occasions, and, above all, the
queso
. Lauren, thanks for helping with the last-gasp round of edits and for falling so hard for Ajay. I'll write you that novella some day. Alisha Klapheke, for laughing at all the right moments while reading
Suffer Love
next to me at the coffeehouse. And to the rest of my coffeehouse girls—Paige, Lauren, Rae Ann Parker, and Erica Rogers—Friday is the best day of the week because of you ladies. Thank you for your kindness and for sharing your words and wisdom.

To my movie-witty-banter-and-just-all-around-amazing pals, Kathryn Ormsbee and Jennifer Gaska: You make the book world a better world. Thanks to the entire Twitter book community, for believing in stories, writers, positive change, and making me proud to be part of such a wonderful world.

Thanks to all the Sweet Sixteens for making this debut journey unforgettable. To my Sixteen to Read girls for all the love and support and general awesomeness. I'm honored to be among such talented, kind, and funny people. I've loved championing all of your debuts and can't wait to champion every book after that.

To Mom, for always believing this day would come, even when everything I wrote sucked. I know you would've loved Hadley and Sam, and I truly wouldn't be here today—in so many ways—without you. I miss you every day.

My family and all of their unending support. Brandon, Sara, Elliott, and Nicholas Herring, I love you guys. Brandon, you've always been my hero. Thanks for taking risks, for believing in your creativity and talents in a way that inspired me to believe in mine. Sara, I'm honored to call you sister. Pat and John David Strickland and the Todd family for unconditional kindness. All the Herrings, Blakes, and Cowns, who know all of my history and still like me.

Benjamin and William, I adore you a million trains and dinosaurs. Your love of life and the easy way you love me, even when my imperfections are glaringly bright, inspire me to be better every day.

Craig, thank you for loving me where I am. The way I am. Thank you for sticking with me on this wild ride.

And to all my readers, thank you for letting Hadley and Sam into your lives.

Credit: Anna Groos

A
SHLEY
H
ERRING
B
LAKE
is a teacher and writer who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two boisterous sons. She would very much like to own a teacup pig one day.