by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

I recently wrote the acknowledgments section for my new release.

It’s a process fraught with emotion for me because I’m terrified I’ll forget someone who provided crucial assistance and it will be a faux pax from which I can never recover.

I typically take it very seriously, but I’ve read some acknowledgments that were lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek, and in some cases, downright hilarious.

That isn’t my normal style, and I rarely have enough room in my books to pull something like that off.

But if I ever did, it would look something like this:

I would like to express my thankfulness to the unsung heroes of the writing world because I would never have finished this book without the following:

Chocolate

Peanut butter M&Ms and Miniature Reese’s for their consistent and faithful sacrifice to the cause.

Honorable mention going to Symphony with Toffee and Almonds, Twix, KitKat, MilkyWay and MilkyWay Dark.

A nod to all other forms of non-coconut containing chocolate for pinch hitting when necessary.

Coffee

Hot in the morning when I stayed up too late the night before trying to come up with the perfect way for the hero and heroine to nearly die and nearly kiss . . . in the same scene.

Iced in the late morning/early afternoon when I was trying to squeeze in 250 words that might well be the only 250 words of the day.

Decaf for the evening writing trips to Starbucks because it would be rude not to buy anything, but if I consumed any more caffeine I would be able to smell numbers.

Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Cherry Coke.

My carbonated beverages of choice.

Spotify

for setting the writing mood.

My favorite pajamas (you know who you are)

for always being there for me and making the whole process more comfortable.

Grocery delivery

for making sure my family had food to eat while I was on deadline.

Lip balm

for being in every bag and drawer and your own special box at my desk, because that’s how important you are.

Cmd-Z (Ctrl-Z on a PC)

for returning the words I wrote, decided were terrible, deleted, then wanted back. You rock.

And last but not least…

The procrastination heavy hitters:

Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest – for providing me with hours of mindless scrolling.

The sudoku app on my phone – for making me feel like I wasn’t losing brain cells while procrastinating.

Netflix, Hulu, Prime, YouTubeTV, and Disney + – for making sure there’s always something for me to watch when I didn’t feel like writing.

As with my “real” acknowledgements, I’m sure I’ve left off some critical items that I’ll think of tomorrow!

What would you add to this list?

Grace and peace,

Lynn

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist, and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award.

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after by signing up for her newsletter at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.