Acknowledgments

To my husband, Joe: Thank you for always offering me the last cookie in the jar (even though I know you really want it) and for understanding that “I’m almost finished with this scene” translates to “You aren’t going to see me for the rest of the day.” I love you … I guess. To my always entertaining, sometimes irritating, mostly wonderful children: Finding my balance between writer and mother has been my greatest challenge. Thank you for understanding and loving me, even when I get it wrong. To my ever increasing circle of writer-type friends—Cindy, Holly, Linda, Kristen, Mary, and Susana: Thank you for making me feel like less of a weirdo. With you, I have truly found my people. To my lovely canning wife, Melissa: Thank you for sticking it out with me. Being my friend is a tough job; being my wife makes you a saint.

To Les Edgerton: You were the first person to ever look at me and see, above all else, a writer. For that, I’d open a vein for you … preferably someone else’s.

To Cathy Crowley, who has been my hero and my champion from day one: Thank you for your seemingly endless offers of support, enthusiasm and expertise. I thank you, my readers thank you, and most importantly, chapter 48 thanks you. To Mary Lillie, whose eagle-eye and attention to detail keeps me sane: You’ll never know how much I rely on you to make me sound like I know what I’m doing.

To my agent, Chip MacGregor: Thanks for looking out for me and for talking me off the ledge when things don’t go my way. It’s comforting to know I’ve got you in my corner. To the fantastic team at Midnight Ink—specifically my badass editors, Terri Bischoff and Nicole Nugent: Thank you for the countless hours of hard work and dedication you put in, not just for me, but for all of us. Thank you for being our voice, our sounding board, our advocates, and our biggest fans.

And for you, Annie, who is always last but never, ever least: You were my first and most constant partner in this crazy, unpredictable, sometimes-painful-but-always-worth-it roller coaster we call life. Thank you for forgiving me when I’m being a self-absorbed asshole (which is most of the time) and for being the first person who ever leaned in close and whispered in my ear, you can do this. I love you, I do. Forever and ever.