Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway

No, actually I dedicated it pretty much word for word the way you described. To my parents, for always believing in me, etc.

They didn't know about it until we got to the book launch party and they picked up a copy. My father got teary-eyed. It was the best moment of the launch, and that's saying a lot, because it was a really good event.

"It's very nice that so many people's parents were tolerant of their writing. Maybe it's that they are so much more successful and talented than I am."

If someone is supportive only when you're successful, then to me, that's not supportive. I thanked them because they were supportive when I *wasn't* successful. When I was writing utter crap and colleting rejections and doing what to many people probably looked like a pointless and futile waste of time.