It seems appropriate to begin these acknowledgments by recognizing the place where I found a safe haven and writing space throughout the nearly two years it took to complete Friday’s Harbor: Amore Coffee on the corner of Smith and Annapolis in St. Paul, Minnesota, my new home.
No newcomer could ever ask for more. Amore owners Cathy Hauser and Nancy Breymeier welcomed me and my husband, Nolan, into their shop, home, and hearts from the day we first arrived here with four cats, two dogs, and no friends or even acquaintances for a thousand miles in any direction. Cathy and Nancy, you gave us the best twin gifts anyone could receive: excellent coffee and unconditional acceptance. And you introduced us to a circle of new friends whom we treasure, not least because they withstood my endless whining at Amore every Saturday and Sunday morning as the early pages of Friday failed to take shape. To Becky and Mike Aistrup, Judy Daniel, and Kathy Ernst go my boundless gratitude. And I owe a special thank you to Kathy Farnell and her corgi, Poppy, for amazing acts of friendship through good and bad days, including throwing a ball for our dogs when it was seven degrees below zero and we were down with the flu. You two have been wonderful ambassadors for all things Minnesotan.
I’d like to extend a very special thank you to Brian Joseph, DVM, for helping with several veterinary medical issues. And my deep appreciation goes to Brenda Ambrose for her ongoing friendship and for continuing to champion my work from Bend, Oregon, including providing critical insight into Friday character Libertine Adagio. It would not have been the same book without you. To my sister, Laurie Coplin, and mother, Debbie Coplin, go my undying gratitude for reading and critiquing this book—yours were the first and most reassuring words I heard when Friday’s first draft was finally done.
My heartfelt thanks go to my greatest supporter and crutch, editor Kate Nintzel, who not only knows her editorial stuff, but also understands exactly how and when to hold the hand of this nervous writer. Kate, there are simply no words to adequately express my gratitude—you have not only kept me sane, but made me a better writer. My thanks, too, to agents Erin Malone and Anna DeRoy for having the backbone I lack, and to Jennifer Rudolph Walsh for creatively answering the question What’s next?
Finally, I give my heart and soul to my husband, Nolan Harvey, without whom this book could not exist. You believe in me when I don’t; you give me courage when mine fails me; you give me up to the voices in my head with incredible grace and fortitude. There is no way to adequately express the depth of my gratitude for sharing this crazy life with me. I love you.