HIDING - every scar has a story

Afterword

This story is a book in the real world, that I self-published for my little community of readers, and it now exists on Wattpad because of the prompting of my daughter to share it here. Thanks @YellowIsAHappyColor for that encouragement!

HIDING  could not have become a reality without the generous, skillful editing work of Amy Robertson, who believed in this project and made time for it in her busy life. Thank you, Amy. I assure you, any remaining mistakes are my own fault for touching it after she was finished! I'm also grateful to Jess Wiberg, who gave this project the strikingly edgy cover it needed to actually be a thing. You rock, Jess!

This story was born in the creative mess of a little campus writing group shepherded by Brita Schenk. I still remember the smell of German apple pancake filling her kitchen when she told me why Cary burned his father's books. That moment gave me the key that unlocked worlds inside Cary that I had only guessed at before. Thank you, Brita.

I am deeply grateful for the providential ordering of the universe that put Kendra and I together just as I was finishing draft 2.0 of this novel. She was 16 at the time, and we came from worlds as different as Jon and Cary. Her visceral first response to the manuscript told me I had by grace bridged the gap to tell her story, as well as mine. Thank you Kendra for being Cary's first and forever fan, keeping him real and grounded to the end of this book—and into the next!

So much love and gratitude to my parents for giving me a home full of peace and love growing up, and yet leaving room for others to come into our family and get a taste of God's welcome around our table. And to Logan's folks—our time in their home only deepened my appreciation for God's welcome and grace for the broken. Thank you.

And of course to my own little family—it's not easy to live with a writing mommy who seems to be in another world half the time. Love and thanks to my children, Nevin and El, who learned the art of knowing when to ask me twenty times before I heard them, and when ask daddy instead. I don't have words adequate to honor and thank my husband Logan who took my writing habit seriously and made it a priority in a busy season of family life. I love you and I'm so grateful God gave us to each other.

Writers always say their characters are fictional, but in truth it's real people and real stories that inspire us and drive us to the page. There are many such people between the lines of this story, especially behind the character of Pete White: my own father, my husband, Pastor Kevin, and my uncle Peter all played a part in shaping the character of that good man. This book is dedicated to my father, Sam, who taught me what a good dad loves like.

And to you, whoever you are, whether you clicked on this story on a whim or because a friend told you that you had to read it... thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Writers are nothing without readers! I hope you found a picture here of a God who knows each of our stories and cares about each detail, who is not removed and distant but intimately acquainted with grief and pain. May you find Love with you on the journey.

Peace and love,

coffee-an-flowers