Acknowl­edg­ments: In If These Wings Could Fly, the author takes a moment to extend heart­felt thanks to the many indi­vid­u­als and groups whose sup­port and con­tri­bu­tions were essen­tial in bring­ing the book to life. The acknowl­edg­ments sec­tion is not only a trib­ute to those who played a direct role in the book’s cre­ation but also serves as a reflec­tion on the entire cre­ative jour­ney, from ini­tial con­cept to fin­ished man­u­script. It under­scores the impor­tance of com­mu­ni­ty, men­tor­ship, and col­lab­o­ra­tion in the writ­ing process, rec­og­niz­ing that no book is writ­ten in iso­la­tion. The author rec­og­nizes the con­tri­bu­tions of many peo­ple, acknowl­edg­ing the piv­otal role that sup­port sys­tems and cre­ative envi­ron­ments play in trans­form­ing an idea into a tan­gi­ble work of art.

A sig­nif­i­cant por­tion of grat­i­tude is direct­ed towards the Pitch Wars team, a group that played an instru­men­tal role in shap­ing the man­u­script. The author cred­its the team for fos­ter­ing a sup­port­ive envi­ron­ment and offer­ing valu­able guid­ance that helped refine the sto­ry. Spe­cial thanks are giv­en to Kate Karyus Quinn and Mindy McGin­nis, whose hon­est feed­back and men­tor­ship proved invalu­able dur­ing the more chal­leng­ing phas­es of writ­ing. The author also express­es deep appre­ci­a­tion for their agent, Suzie Townsend, whose unwa­ver­ing belief in the book’s poten­tial pro­vid­ed much-need­ed encour­age­ment and sup­port. The ded­i­ca­tion of these indi­vid­u­als, who are part of a vibrant and nur­tur­ing writ­ing com­mu­ni­ty, is high­light­ed as one of the key ele­ments that pro­pelled the man­u­script toward its final form.

In addi­tion to these key fig­ures, the author acknowl­edges the invalu­able con­tri­bu­tion of Ben Rosen­thal, the edi­tor who metic­u­lous­ly reviewed the man­u­script and brought atten­tion to details that enhanced the over­all qual­i­ty of the book. The team at Kather­ine Tegen Books also receives recog­ni­tion for their wel­com­ing and col­lab­o­ra­tive approach, which allowed the author to feel sup­port­ed through­out the pub­lish­ing process. Their col­lec­tive exper­tise and diverse tal­ents were inte­gral to the suc­cess of the project, cre­at­ing an envi­ron­ment where the book could thrive. The author high­lights the sig­nif­i­cance of the edi­to­r­i­al team and their role in trans­form­ing the raw mate­r­i­al of a man­u­script into a pol­ished, pub­lished work that read­ers can enjoy.

The acknowl­edg­ments also pay trib­ute to ear­ly writ­ing influ­ences, par­tic­u­lar­ly the com­mu­ni­ty that emerged from “The Great Nov­el­ing Adven­ture.” The friend­ships and rela­tion­ships formed with­in this group pro­vid­ed cru­cial sup­port and encour­age­ment dur­ing the author’s ear­ly writ­ing jour­ney. Fig­ures like Jen­ny Peri­novic are acknowl­edged for their con­sis­tent sup­port, cama­raderie, and the piv­otal role they played in the author’s devel­op­ment as a writer. These ear­ly rela­tion­ships, based on shared expe­ri­ences and a pas­sion for sto­ry­telling, are rec­og­nized for their last­ing impact on the author’s cre­ative process and career.

The author express­es deep grat­i­tude to fam­i­ly mem­bers, acknowl­edg­ing the unwa­ver­ing love and sup­port received from both imme­di­ate and extend­ed rel­a­tives. Spe­cial thanks are giv­en to Aunt Mol­ly and Uncle Matt, whose kind­ness and con­tri­bu­tions enriched the author’s life and expe­ri­ences. Their involve­ment goes beyond sim­ple fam­i­ly sup­port; they are rec­og­nized as key fig­ures who helped shape the author’s world­view and pro­vid­ed much-need­ed sta­bil­i­ty and encour­age­ment through­out the writ­ing jour­ney.

Friends, too, are cel­e­brat­ed for their unwa­ver­ing sup­port. The author specif­i­cal­ly men­tions Kayleigh, whose encour­age­ment played a cru­cial role in main­tain­ing moti­va­tion dur­ing dif­fi­cult times, and Katharyn, who brought joy and laugh­ter dur­ing the more chal­leng­ing phas­es of the writ­ing process. These friend­ships pro­vid­ed not only emo­tion­al sup­port but also a sense of com­mu­ni­ty, remind­ing the author that they were not alone in their jour­ney. Final­ly, a spe­cial acknowl­edg­ment is giv­en to Andrew, whose belief in the author’s writ­ing ambi­tions and his con­stant sup­port through­out their shared life jour­ney pro­vid­ed the foun­da­tion for the cre­ative work that led to the book’s com­ple­tion. This acknowl­edg­ment high­lights the impor­tance of per­son­al con­nec­tions, with Andrew’s sup­port being rec­og­nized as a sig­nif­i­cant fac­tor in the author’s abil­i­ty to pur­sue their dreams and com­plete the project.

In clos­ing, the acknowl­edg­ments sec­tion serves as a poignant reflec­tion on the impor­tance of com­mu­ni­ty, sup­port, and per­son­al con­nec­tions in the writ­ing process. The author’s deep grat­i­tude toward the peo­ple who con­tributed to the journey—whether through pro­fes­sion­al guid­ance, per­son­al sup­port, or sim­ply offer­ing encouragement—demonstrates how a book is more than just the work of a sin­gle indi­vid­ual. It is the result of col­lec­tive effort, and this acknowl­edg­ment stands as a tes­ta­ment to the invalu­able role that oth­ers play in help­ing a writer bring their vision to life. Through this recog­ni­tion, the author high­lights the pow­er of col­lab­o­ra­tion, men­tor­ship, and per­son­al rela­tion­ships in the cre­ative process, offer­ing a heart­felt thank you to those who helped make If These Wings Could Fly a real­i­ty.