ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Again, I thank my agent, the whipsmart Jamie Brenner of Artists and Artisans. Jamie has boundless energy and an infectious enthusiasm. I’m incredibly lucky to have her on my team.

I am indebted to my editor, Kate Seaver, for offering a home to my wayward girls and for strengthening their story. Kate’s savvy edits coaxed the very best from my characters.

I thank my critique group—Chantal Corcoran, Dawn Mooradian, Kali VanBaale, Kim Stuart, Mia James, and Murl Pace—for their input, fellowship, and friendship. For medical advice and terminology, I thank Dawn Mooradian, MD, and Lynn Rankin, MD.

To my greatest supporter and champion—my mother, Elaine Peck—I owe much more than this fleeting mention. I thank her for a lifetime of selfless encouragement and unconditional love. I am grateful to my sisters, Jennifer Peck and Valerie Devine, for their friendship and company on this wondrous journey called life. To that end, I thank my extended Jones and Peck relations for a trove of wonderful memories, grist for the writer’s wheel.

Finally, love to my husband, Bob, and sons, Ross and Mac. Perhaps because my own family life is tranquil, I am forced to invent dramas and scandals. I thank them for this luxury.