Invariably, I’ll be writing along, writing, writing on some book or other–my current work in progress (WIP) is Lady Jenny’s story, which will be published October 1, 2013, and be my third Christmas tale–and I’ll get an email from Skye or Susie at my publisher’s office telling me I haven’t yet done a dedication and acknowledgements for a book much closer to publication.
I lift my head up, feeling like a clover-drunk moose staring at two bright oncoming lights. “Which book is that? Who’d you say it’s about? You’re sure I wrote it? Hmm.” Writing the acknowledgments is easy. By the time one of my books hits the shelves, it’s fair to say “I didn’t write that,” in the sense that the book would be a file on my laptop (a large, not so very readable file), but for the efforts of a zillion dedicated professionals who spin my straw into your gold.
The dedication isn’t so easy. Jenny’s book will be dedicated to my brother Dick, who is one of two brothers thirteen years my senior My first distinct memory of Dick was when I was five years old and he was eighteen. I’d gone to a first grade practice day as the kindergarten year ended, and the experience was horrifying (from my perspective). The “guests” sat at the back of the room on the hard floor for hours while a nun in an all black traditional habit batted off at the front of the room about things I could not understand, much less see.
When my brother Dick arrived to take me home at mid-day, I RAN to him, and he swung me up on his shoulders right there in the classroom. After flirting a little with Sister, he took me away from that bad, scary place, and got me home. Even at that age, I understood that if my brother treated me specially in front of all those people, two conclusions followed. A) They would think I was special, and B) I was special, at least to him.
How do I embody that memory in a few line at the front of a book? This is the same guy who told me the best way to create an arc for a romance hero was to make him choose between the competing demands of honor–which is brilliant, also the modern adult male’s dilemma in a nutshell.
I have some time to work on that particular dedication, which is good because I really want it to shine.
If you were going to dedicate a book to someone, what would you say? To one commenter, I’ll send out a signed Advanced Reader Copy of “The Bridegroom Wore Plaid,” the first book in the MacGregor Brothers trilogy of Scottish Victorian romances.
Dedication will go to my mother.
I don’t see you enough but Skype does wonders. Stay well, keep firm. I’ll see you real soon.
I dedicated my first book to my family, and loving families generally. To say thanks like that, publicly, was a wonderfully. Tell Mom we say hello.
Dedication would go to my kids:
For always believing mom can do anything and teaching me there is always love in the world no matter how horrible things sometimes seem.
I’ve got a dedication planned for my daughter. I’ve been looking forward to it, and you’re right: The little ones know it’s all about the love.
First, to my Dad who always believed in my writing and pushed me to do so even when I didn’t feel like it. Second, to my work for providing ENDLESS fodder for my creative outlet & the downtime to actually write!
Oh yeah, inspiration from any quarter should always be appreciated… we need villains worth reading, too.
For Dan – who swept me off my feet with the methodical precision of an engineer and the soul of a poet.
Yowza! We need to clone that guy.
Dedicated to my mother:
To my mother who had the strength to survived the end of her marriage, the death of her son and keep the rest of her children on the right path to adulthood.
Lori, my aunt had the sorrowful privilege to bury her husband and her 25 year-old-son (aortic aneurysm). She said losing a spouse is hard and sad, but losing a child is unbearable. Your Mom must be something else.
To my kid sister:
For my little sister, I started sharing my writing with you so you would have something to read and now I share my writing with everyone else because you made me feel like I could. I love you.
Love it. I’m a kid sister five times over, and I’d buy that book.
This book is didicated to my mother Rita. She believed in me!
And Sue, wherever she is, she still does. Short, sweet, and to the point, I’m sure your sentiments would resonate with a lot of people.
My husband sent me a note today on Facebook that I think would be great for that: “You are the best wife and friend I could ever ask for. Thanks for believing I could do anything. I love you!” What a dedication, huh?
And he put it right out there in Social Media Land for all to see. You chose well!
My dedication would be for my family:
To loved ones, both here and gone. Thank you for your support and caring. Your kindness is never forgotten.
Huh, I am quite late again but nevertheless want to comment.
I can’t imagine writing a book. But I would make the dedication depending on the book/topic. I suppose, that if I wrote a book, I would have someone in mind writing it almost as if writing it to this person.
For me, there needs to be a connection between the book and the person to dedicate it to. Not only that is why, I so loved your dedication in “the soldier” to all the soldiers, and also the ones in Maggie’s and Val’s book.