When I first visited Provincetown, in the spring of 2015, I didn’t know a single person in town. Today, I count some of the residents of this special place among my dearest friends. How did that happen in such a relatively short time? That’s the magic of Provincetown.
I met author A. C. Burch while browsing the shelves of the Provincetown Bookshop that first trip, and he has since become a wonderful friend. He’s an endlessly fascinating source of Provincetown history and helped immensely with this novel. Thank you, A.C., for giving my early draft a P’town read! (Any errors are entirely my own.) When I was looking to research oyster farming, he introduced me to Lory Santos, a woman who created her own second act with her Provincetown oyster farm and company, Detail Fish. Lory, thank you for taking me out on the water, sharing your stories, and showing this city gal how to get her hands dirty. Thank you to Manny Correia and his husband, Tom Harvey, for opening their magnificent home to me so I always have a place to write. (Manny, you are a rare soul and I’m so fortunate to have you in my life.) I met Manny in East End Books…which leads me to another special person, East End Books owner Jeff Peters. Jeff, you have been an invaluable champion of my books and I appreciate every introduction, every conversation, and every impromptu dinner party. The book world is lucky to have you. Thank you to lead librarian of Provincetown Public Library, Nan Cinnater, and Deborah Karacozian of Provincetown Bookshop for your passionate support of writers and literature, including your work hosting the annual Provincetown Book Festival. This festival brought another great person into my life, Clayton Nottleman. Special thanks to Mary Alice Wells and Cass Benson for hosting me in your glorious home two years in a row.
The tea shop in this book, including the creative names of blends of tea, was inspired by Provincetown’s the Captain’s Daughters, founded by Meghan O’Conner and Dani Niedzielski. A big thanks to Meghan and Dani for teaching me about the intoxicating world of tea. Your shop is really special.
Thank you again to the Anchor Inn Beach House, a hotel that always feels like home and the inspiration for the Beach Rose Inn featured in both this novel and The Forever Summer.
Thank you to Olga Cohen of Grohen Technologies for sharing the story of her remarkable career in the cosmetics industry, and to Robert Rave for giving me insight into the world of social media management.
At Little, Brown, I have been fortunate to have the support of an excellent team, including my editor Judy Clain, Reagan Arthur, Craig Young, Terry Adams, Alexandra Hoopes, Ashley Marudas, Shannon Hennessey, and Lauren Hess. Thank you to my outstanding publicist, Maggie Southard Gladstone.
Lastly and most importantly, thank you to my agent, Adam Chromy. You make every story better.