I continue to be grateful for all the great folks at St. Martins/Minotaur including (but not limited to) Joe Brosnan, Hector DeJean, Jennifer Donovan, Melissa Hastings, Paul Hoch, Andrew Martin, Sarah Melnyk, and especially my editor, Pete Wolverton. And thanks again to David Rotstein and the art department for another beautiful cover.
More thanks to my agent, Ellen Geiger, and the staff at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency for handling the business side of writing so brilliantly and letting me concentrate on the fun part.
Many thanks to the friends—writers and readers alike—who brainstorm and critique with me, give me good ideas, or help keep me sane while I’m writing: Stuart, Aidan, and Liam Andrews, Chris Cowan, Ellen Crosby, Kathy Deligianis, Margery Flax, John Gilstrap, Barb Goffman, David Niemi, Alan Orloff, Art Taylor, Robin Templeton, and Dina Willner. Thanks for all kinds of moral support and practical help to my blog sisters and brother at the Femmes Fatales: Alexia Gordon, Dean James, Toni L. P. Kelner, Catriona McPherson, Kris Neri, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Joanna Campbell Slan, Marcia Talley, and Elaine Viets. And thanks to all the TeaBuds for two decades of friendship.
Special thanks to Suzanne Frisbee, who first told me about the real-life events that inspired this book’s plot. Suzanne and Joni Langevoort remain my stalwart experts in all things Episcopalian. Father Lyndon Shakespeare also provided useful insight, and graciously agreed to let me steal his very evocative name for one of the characters. Any mistakes in church doctrine or custom are obviously things I forgot to ask them about.
And above all, thanks to the readers who continue to enjoy Meg’s adventures!