cover design : marie owen printed in the united states of america isbn 0-9718105-0-8 library of congress control number 2002101105 acknowledgements my thanks go to the many people who made this book possible , including my editor carolyn schreiter ; my `` first readers '' anna fortner , rusty & ann benson , cindy ballard , bonnie porter , sandra hendrix , shirley king , and randall murphree ; my encouragers jonathan and ashley mcintosh , julie homan , malone newell , reesie bradbury , lee jones , jan cooper , kenneth benson , jamie finley , dina plunket , peggy carlton jones , barbara kinsey , denny gordon , and ellen aregood ; and my proofers , the sisters : christy grissom , rachel luttrell , and darlene donaldson .