Many thoughtful people helped me at different stages as I wrote this book, too many to name individually. Both writer and reader friends provided me with invaluable input that shaped the final form of the novel. I am deeply grateful to all of those who shared their time, talents and creativity.
To all my peers and professors in the Fairfield University MFA program, you gave me the confidence to follow my creative dreams. You made it possible for me to switch from journalism and business writing to fiction and poetry. It was my dream come true. You showed me it was never too late to reinvent myself into the writer I always wanted to be. You know who you are. Thank you and I love you.
To my writers groups online, in California, Vermont, Illinois, Ireland and Connecticut, who read story after story and version after version for the past decade, thank you so very much. As I struggled to morph into a creative writer, you bolstered my spirit and improved my work. Without you, I might have given up. You know who you are. Thank you and I love you.
Places are key characters in my life and in my writing. I gathered inspiration at Ender’s Island in Mystic, Connecticut, Walloon Lake, Michigan, The Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois, Rancho Santa Fe, California, and Okinawa, Japan.
Finally, to my editors and publisher, thank you for believing in me and my work.