Holy crap. I did it again. I spent another whole November writing 50,000 words and now I'm DONE!

This novel adventure would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of a great many people. Without them, I might have actually done a load of laundry this month, or gone to bed before 2 am most nights. Here, then, is my ode to you:

To Pandora.com: Thank you for providing me with free endless hours of moody music to be inspired by.

To Purple Bunny Pencil Warmer: You just sat there the whole time and said nothing. No judgment, no harassing me to type faster, no telling me to stop filling out crossword puzzles when I was supposed to be writing. That means a lot to me, buddy.

To the Java Bean in Ballard: Thanks for running one of the most cozy, most relaxed coffee shops in town. I bet you didn't know I wrote almost 10,000 words in a single Sunday afternoon while tucked into one of your tables, did you? You make a divine London Fog, by the way.

To that damned meowing cat keychain my sister brought home from Iceland.... okay, you made me laugh, damnit. I admit it. I needed you, too.

To Kevin, or John, I can't remember which one of you now first turned me on to NaNoWriMo: THANK YOU for pushing me to do this.

To Layla and Tara, who talked me through my mid-novel moral quandary about incorporating too much "real life" into a work of fiction: Thank you for being fellow artistic souls and taking this endeavor seriously and shaping it into something real. Your insight was just the thing I needed to keep going.

To Victoria, who urged me on with a mother's faith that it would all work out if only I just went to my room and typed. You will always be my favorite Cheerleader of the Suburbs.

And finally, To Mr. Burdy. Thank you for being my snack-fetcher, tea-maker, movie-watchin'-in-the-other-room, writer's-block-solving man-servant, and the recipient of more "Get the hell out of here, can't you see I'm COMPOSING?" evil stares than I can count.

I can't promise this thing is going to go anywhere. It may sit on my computer forever and never see the light of an editor's office. I'm just happy to have committed to something and FINISHED it.

And now, dear Internets, I'm going to watch some TV and paint my nails. In one and a half hours, it's December. Hoo-freakin'-ray.


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