ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
F
I R S T A N D F O R E M O S T, I want to thank my
Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving His life so I may live. If not for His transforming grace and mercy, I would still be on the streets of Tacoma (if not in jail or dead). May everything I do, write, and say proclaim the gospel and point others to Jesus Christ. I want to give a special thank-you to my husband, Steve Slattery, who continually supports my writing endeavors even if that means eating leftovers three days out of seven (and burnt ones at that!). This novel was especially fun to write as, being a railroader as the hero in When Dawn Breaks is, my husband played an active and crucial role in the writing of this novel, sharing industry insights, verifying accuracy of details and authenticity of plot lines, and spending a great deal of time brainstorming possible scenes and scenarios. Love you, Slattery! I also want to thank Jesseca Randall, my sister and a strong woman in the faith who has been involved in the foster care industry in various capacities for almost a decade. Her passion has bled into me and stirred within me a desire to write this story. I also want to thank a sweet sister in Christ named Gale Perkins who, while in her fifties, sensed God calling her into foster care. Not shrinking from that call, Gale showed us all what can happen when we say yes to God. Watching her raise up children who’ve been placed in the system, like Gavin and his sisters, I was continually reminded that lives can in fact change, and each one of us can be a part of that life change.
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W H E N D AW N B R E A K S