One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent.
Acknowledgements
And now to the part I love the most . . . giving thanks to those who helped me tell this story.
Huge shout-out to my storyline editor, Angela Smith, for helping me fill the holes in this complicated story, for reading it once for one aspect, and then again for the second, and then a third just because you love me. And then for untwisting your brain so you'll be available to help me on the next one. I love you dearly. (Insert many crazy face emoticons). And I miss you sitting at my counter with a glass of wine in your hand more than words can express.
Eternal gratitude to my developmental and line editor, Marion Archer. You stretch me in ways I am so very grateful for, all the while making me laugh and swoon at the comments you send back in my manuscript. Someday I'm going to read through our three-page emails back and forth discussing the plot points of this story, and I'm going to wonder how we aren't both committed. (Or are we? Wait—where am I?) I think those emails in and of themselves could be used for a case study . . . ;) Thank you for continuing to teach and inspire with each new book.
To my wonderful beta readers who read Midnight Lily first and came back with comments ranging from, "WTF," at ten p.m., to "You're lucky I don't live in your neighborhood or I'd be at your door right now to discuss this," at five a.m. And then they went on to provide such incredibly insightful comments and suggestions; Heather Anderson, Cat Bracht, Elena Eckmeyer (who read Lily three times to provide invaluable psychology advice and may now need a short "rest" at Whittington ;) ), Michelle Finkle, Natasha Gentile, and my author beta Gretchen De La O who takes the word cheerleader to a whole new level. Thank you for your friendship, your time, and your support.
My final eyes editor, Karen Lawson, who gives me such immense confidence in the quality of my final product, thank you. You take such good care of me, even when you're jet-lagged and still smelling of coconut oil!
Thank you to Amy Kehl and Sharon Broom for giving Lily one last read-through and saving me from having to do it, and in the end saving my sanity.
Huge love to A.L. Jackson and Katy Regnery who provided hours and hours of laughs, support, advice, craziness, and friendship, not to mention were really awesome promotion partners. This business can be solitary—to have "co-workers" like you two makes my whole world a brighter place. I have such immense admiration for you both as writers and as people. #SideEyesForever #TheGreatKind
Tina Kleuker, you kind, generous soul—thank you for all the hard work you put into this release, my website, and a million other things you do for me both personally and professionally. Not one of them goes unnoticed or unappreciated.
Thank you to my badass agent, Kimberly Brower, whose care and kindness, and passion for all things book-world has made her not only a friend, but my most trusted advisor.
To you, the reader, thank you for inviting my characters into your book clubs, your homes, your hearts. I know that there is a never-ending supply of new books to read. I am forever grateful that you chose to spend your precious time on mine.
Thank you to Mia's Mafia for providing me a happy place online where I can go to hide out once in a while. You all are so positive, so supportive, and so much fun. I value each one of you!
To all the book bloggers for whom reading is not only a passion, but a job. Thank you for doing what you do. Each review and recommendation is appreciated beyond measure.
To my husband: You believed in this story from the very start, even when it took a few turns neither of us expected. Without you, I wouldn't have had the courage to tell it. Thank you for listening to all my ceaseless babbling as if every word of it mattered to you. One night as I sat on our bed crying about all the reasons I was scared to put this one out into the world, you looked at me and said simply, "Honey, take a chance." You said the same words to me almost four years ago, and I have not regretted it. So no matter what, this one is for you. You make me brave, not only with your belief in me, but because I know that however it turns out, you will be there with open arms. For someone with the heart of an artist, there is no greater gift, and no softer place to land. Thank you for so very, very much, but especially, thank you for that.
About the Author
Mia Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her passion is weaving true love stories about people destined to be together. Mia lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband. They have four children here on earth and one in heaven. In addition to Midnight Lily, Leo, Leo's Chance, Stinger, Archer's Voice, Becoming Calder, Finding Eden, Kyland, and Grayson's Vow are also part of the Sign of Love collection.
Mia can be found online at
www.MiaSheridan.com
www.facebook.com/miasheridanauthor
Book Club Questions
What were your feelings about Holden Scott when you first met him? Did he seem to fall into the category of a stereotypical athlete, or were there things that surprised you about his character, both physically and mentally? Did you look at these things as clues to something else going on?
What were your initial thoughts about Lily? Who (or what) did you think she was? Did those ideas change as the story progressed?
The forest unites Holden and Lily and they spend a good portion of time there in the beginning of the book. Why is this remote setting important? In what ways is the forest a character all its own?
Midnight Lily is built around several mysteries. Did you find portions of the story more mysterious than others? Were you forming hypotheses as you read? Did any of them end up being accurate?
What is the significance of the stone "cave" Lily shows Holden in the woods? In this scene, Holden tells Lily that when it comes to other lives, you should "dream big or go home." And Lily expresses more of an interest in living a simple life. When the true nature of the situation they've just experienced reveals itself at the end, does this exchange become more meaningful?
What were your feelings about Whittington? Did those feelings change at the end of the book?
What were your initial thoughts about the two people Lily describes as escaping from Whittington? Did you think there was a connection between them and Lily and Holden?
What are the overarching themes of Midnight Lily? Could you relate to any of them?
After learning the truth about the hero and heroine's situation, what are your feelings about the supporting characters? Specifically Nyala and Dr. Katz. Who were these women to the hero and heroine? What roles did they play?
Did you consider the conclusion of the story a happy ending? Why or why not?
What questions were you left with after the epilogue? What clues can you pinpoint that answered some of those questions (either in the story, or in the conclusion)?
What do you imagine happens after the end of Midnight Lily? Where do you see these characters in five years? Ten?
Mia Sheridan, Midnight Lily
(Series: # )
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