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Back Confess to Me Save as PDF
Chapters (87)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Sharon Doering
  3. Title Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Prologue
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  85. Author’s Note
  86. Acknowledgements
  87. About the Author

And no, my cats didn’t come from Tiger King. You were wondering, right? My first draft was nearly complete when that show released. A decade ago, I watched The Elephant in the Room (2010), another documentary, this one about exotic pets in Ohio. This documentary is something special and, if you have the time, I highly recommend it. I knew the topic would rear its furry head (and sharp teeth) in one of my books, and this was the one. In my first draft, they were tigers. I changed them to cougars in a later draft. Tigers are more deadly, but cougars have killed their fair share of humans. Especially cougars that live in unnatural conditions with unknowledgeable owners. Another interesting thing about cougars: they don’t roar like other big cats. Instead, they purr, chirp, and scream. My dog and I had a good time listening to cougar vocalizations on YouTube. I set the story in Wisconsin because the exotic pet laws remain looser there.

There were a few other ideas that went into the dough of this story, but they were merely questions I wanted to explore. Things like autobiographical memory loss, birth order, and using the word “toxic” to describe people and families.

I didn’t include an author’s note in my first book. I wish I had. I love hearing where authors get their ideas, so I decided to pull back the curtain for this one. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the show.

Acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Insane gratitude to my patient editor, Sophie Robinson, who saw enough drafts of this book to make her head spin. No doubt she grew weary of my emails, declaring, “Just a few more edits!” Thank you for your fabulous ideas and for steering me in the right direction. And for letting me be stubborn on occasion.

Thank you to Natasha Qureshi for your editorial insights, and to Hayley Shepherd and Saskia Dunn for catching my mistakes.

To my entire Titan team, along with the team at Penguin Random House, thank you for your enthusiasm and tireless effort to get my books in front of readers. Special appreciation to Polly Grice, Sarah Mather, and Katharine Carroll in publicity. And to Julia Lloyd, for nailing the cover! And, I loved the creative Christmas cards, Polly and Hannah.

Barbara Poelle, agent extraordinaire, comedian, and friend, thank you for championing my books. Gratitude to Heather Baror-Shapiro and Danny Baror for foreign rights.