ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing any book involves the help of many great people, and that is especially true of this book. First and foremost, I want to thank the fifty-plus people whose life stories make up the bulk of Living Large for the Long Haul. I asked them some very personal questions to get the details we needed to tell their stories, and they answered with candor and courage. I am immensely grateful for that.

Next, I want to thank my book agent, Laurie Liss of Sterling Lord Literistic, who has represented me with integrity and tenacity for a dozen years.

Thanks also to our wonderful friends at Avery Books, including publisher William Shinker, associate publisher Lisa Johnson, our editor, Megan Newman, editorial assistant Gigi Campo, publicists Casey Maloney and Lindsay Gordon, and copyeditor Janice Kurzius. They’ve been a pleasure to work with and took my last book to number 1 on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Who could ask for anything more?

I’m so grateful to the team at HLN, which has supported my books with tremendous enthusiasm. Thanks to Dave Siff, Mike Kane, and Tim Mallon.

And finally, thanks to my radio team, led by my remarkable executive producer, Christa DiBiase. Christa spent many hours helping my co-authors and me plan and create this book, and her insights were, as always, invaluable.