Who should I dedicate my book to?

Writing a book is tough work, so why shouldn't you get the finishing touches right? Finishing touches like the dedication?

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose mind goes blank when it comes to dedications, so I'm writing this post as much for myself as to help anyone else.

So, who do you dedicate your book to?
Ask yourself these questions -

Who inspired you to write?

A teacher at school?

A friend?

Your parents?

A relative?

Did someone go beyond the call of duty to help you write the book?

Do you have children and they babysat for you?

Did someone encourage you to write when you were about to give up?

For instance, Stephen King threw his manuscript for Carrie in the trash. His wife rescued it.

Dean R Koontz dedicated one of his books to his dog who had passed away.

I dedicated Hell To Pay to my mum Rosemary and Aunt Isobel, as well as two of my best friends who sadly died young. They are the two strongest women I know and Nancy Kerr is a strong female protagonist and the star of the the Die Hard for Girls series of books.

Tip: I dedicated the book to them, but could just have easily have named my main character after them. Instead I named Nancy Kerr after two of my best friends at school.

Remember, dedicating your book to someone makes a wonderful gift. Don't waste the opportunity your hard work's brought about by not using it.

Note - the Die Hard for Girls books were relaunched as the Crime Files by Limitless Publishing in April and May 2015.