ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Once again I’ve had the good fortune to have a character inspired by a real person who won the right to have her name used in this book via a charity raffle run by the remarkable ladies who gather at the ADWOFF website. This year’s winner was Mary Corcoran, a wonderful lady whose true personality is reflected, I hope, in the warmth of the fictional Mary. Many thanks to Phyllis Lannik for inviting me to participate in this once-a-year raffle to raise money to promote literacy.

I’d also like to thank Trula Comfort, a reader who so kindly permitted me to use her wonderful name in this book. I hope she is pleased with the character her name inspired.

Thanks to Joe Drabyak, Chester County Book and Music Company, who is an exceptional bookseller and an all-around terrific guy.

Much love and thanks to my incredible agent, Loretta Barrett, and her terrific staff, Nick Mullendore and Gabriel Davis.

I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best people in the business: Linda Marrow, Libby McGuire, Scott Shannon, Kim Hovey, Nancy Delia, Brian McLendon, Signe Pike, and Dana Isaacson. Special thanks, love, and a heartfelt welcome back to Kate Collins, my amazing editor, who is such a joy to work with. Many thanks to all of the hard-working people behind the scenes at Ballantine Books who do such a terrific job getting my books out there. Thanks to Daniel Mallory, who was always so helpful and supportive, and whose humor is greatly missed. New York’s loss is Oxford’s gain.

Many thanks and love to Chery Griffin for her support and friendship and for cheering me along when I doubt myself.

And last but by no means least, much love to my wonderful, fabulous, and sometimes wacky family—Bill, Katie, and Becca—who make it all worthwhile.