Once again, I am thankful to my editor, Ami McConnell, my copy editor, Rachelle Gardner, and my agent, Claudia Cross, whose literary skill and support made this novel possible. And thanks to the Thomas Nelson fiction team: Allen Arnold, Daisy Hutton, Katie Bond, Becky Monds, Ruthie Dean, and Jodi Hughes. You make it all happen.
If I were to make a list of the folks who have taught, encouraged, and shepherded me along the way, it would take up several pages. Here are just a few of the names that would be on that list: Joe and Betty Jelks, James and Peggy McKinney, Jim and Libby Johnson, Al and Elizabeth Zadig, Peet and Jenny Dickinson, Rick and Annie Belser, Jean and Johnnie Corbett, Tim and Kathy Keller, Hamilton Smith, John and Carolyn Pelletier, Meghan Alexander, Bret Lott, Kelli Hample, Jeannie Lyles, Amy Watson Smith, Karen Turner, Meredith Myers, Elisabeth Hunter, Rachel Temple, Avery Smith, Rene Miles, Rachel Barrett Trangmar, and Evie Cristou. Thank you.
I’m grateful to the belles I blog with at www.southernbelleview.com: Lisa Wingate, Marybeth Whalen, Rachel Hauck, and Shellie Tomlinson. Sharing conversation, stories, and life with you on the cyber porch each week is a downright delight.
Thanks also to the booksellers who hand-sell the stories every day, especially Jill Hendrix at Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC, Jonathan Sanchez at Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston, SC, Tom Warner at Litchfield Books in Pawleys Island, SC, Christine Meredith at Saints Alive in Charleston, SC, and Karen Carter at the Edisto Bookstore on Edisto Island, SC.
My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Edward, and to my children, Frances and Edward. Your love has made all of the difference.
And most of all, thanks to the One who continually transplants my heart. We’ve clocked a lot of hours in the operating room together. You are my lifeblood.