***
We fell asleep together, pushing the worry over Kory being out there roaming free, Jaxon being enslaved to an inner monster, and Mack left alone and desperate, for another day. We needed this time. We needed to heal each other’s wounds.
Yet, when Blake stirred later in the night and woke me, I became listless. His breathing was deep and even. I lifted my head off his chest and rolled on my back, staring at the ceiling.
“Sammy?” I whispered. “I don’t know if you can hear me or not. Or how this works even. I had no idea you even existed until today, but you’ve known about me for a long time. If you are still around and can hear me, I want to say thank you. You saved me once from drowning. And you saved me again when you gave me Blake. He never would have even entered into my life, but would’ve loved me from afar, because he’s that selfless. But I need him in my life. And I’m pretty sure he needs me too. So maybe all that plotting with Mack was all for me after all. At least that’s what I choose to believe.”
Blake murmured something in his sleep, and I settled back down into his arms. A weight had been lifted off me. I could breathe again. We’d face the world tomorrow. Tonight, it was just Blake and me.
At least, I was pretty sure it was just me.
I have to start with a HUGE thank you to my husband, Josh! I have to give him credit for helping me find my Ah-ha moment with this book. It wouldn’t be what it is without you hon! Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, and not minding when dinner is late and the dishes aren’t done.
A tremendous thank you to my three beautiful children! Thank you for letting your mommy disappear at random times to type furiously. I love that my kids want to know all about my stories.
To all my wonderful friends and family who supported me while writing this. Gail Wagner, for always being my first set of eyes to catch all my many mistakes! You always make time for my writing even though you are busy being an author yourself! To my Wattpad fans and readers, who have patiently waited for each chapter update, now you don’t have to wait anymore!
Music played a huge part in writing Hidden Monster. Entire scenes and sequences were inspired by songs! A thank you to Imagine Dragons, Avicii, Great Big World, The Killers, and Blue October. I consider all these artist a great source for inspiration!
To Clean Teen Publishing, you are my writing family! Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels, for believing in my writing and the thousand things you do behind the scenes to get my works published, thank you! To Marya Heiman, for my gorgeous yet creepy cover, love it! Dyan Brown for organizing everything from beta readers to scheduling tours! To Cynthia Shepp for providing excellent editing and feedback!
And lastly, and most importantly, I thank my God, for all the good things in my life!
Born in Dekalb, Illinois, Amanda Strong has called Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia and now New Mexico home. Amanda has been spinning tales since she was a child. Her family still remembers finding her with bright pink glasses, hiding in random corners of the house while scribbling away in one of her many spiral-bound notebooks. You could say some things have not changed.
Amanda began her writing career signing with Clean Teen Publishing in the fall of 2013. Her first novel, The Awakener, book one in a young adult paranormal romance series called: the Watchers of Men, came out in October of 2013. She is currently working on book two, The Watchers, expected to come out in the fall of 2014.
When Amanda isn’t writing, you can find her chasing her three rambunctious children around the house and spending time with her wonderful and supportive husband. On some occasions you can still find Amanda with her not-so-pink glasses, hiding in a corner reading her favorite young adult fantasy novels or working out only to blow her diet by eating ice cream.
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