I once read that successful people surround themselves with people who are strong in areas they are not. I continue to do this in the creation of the Gabby Wells novels.

As I’ve mentioned on this blog, my history is writing screenplays, but am migrating my way into novel writing. This process hasn’t been easy and has required in inordinate amount of re-writes in order to start the process of re-wiring my brain so that I can approach a scene in my mind from the perspective of a novelist.

This long process has sucked. But, in the end it will be worth it.

During this process I have had the critical assistance of two people. One has shown me the independent author ropes and assisted in editing our book and another, a very gifted writer, has been kind enough to help craft each chapter to its maximum potential.

It’s time I give them their due credit, but stealthily so. The person editing my book has been doing so as a favor (she refuses to let me pay her). She was once an editor, but has since moved to other areas of interest in the literary landscape. She no longer officially edits and would rather her public persona remain focused on her current interest, so I will keep her name to myself. But, thank you, ______, you have been a tremendous avenue of support!

The second person is a writer, who has chosen the pen name C F Long as her moniker. She is a private person, but has been there during the creation of the novel. She’s helped me so much that I convinced her to include her name on the book cover. After all, this book would never see the light of day without her.

So, instead of the Gabby Wells book being written by only me, it will include “with C F Long” on the cover. She wants to retain her privacy and acknowledges that this novel, and it’s following series, is my creative baby, so she is not interested in participating in the publicity of the product. However, I felt it would be dishonest of me to finish it and claim sole creative credit for a book in which her voice is intermingled with my own.

Thank you, my creative team, for helping me learn the business and hone my skills. I still have a long way to go, but I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.