One of the true joys of finishing this book is that I finally get to publicly acknowledge all the people who advised, encouraged, and sustained me for the many years it took to write it. Everyone on this page believed I could publish this book even when I was ready to give up. I am humbled to thank:
Wendy Levinson, my astounding agent, for championing this book with her rare combination of tenacity and grace. Marysue Rucci, my gifted editor, who polished this story until it shone. The rest of the Simon and Schuster team, for their overwhelming warmth, support, and advocacy: Jonathan Karp, Richard Rhorer, Cary Goldstein, Elizabeth Breeden, Samantha O’Hara, Jackie Seow, David Litman, Ruth Lee-Mui, Jonathan Evans, Dominick Montalto, Allison Har-Zvi, Lana Roff, and especially Zachary Knoll, for answering my many questions. My earliest readers: Laura Murawczyk, Jack Livings, Kristina Loverro, Mariko Tada, Lydia Snape, and Alix Ford, for critiquing with kindness. My later readers: Lewis Buzbee and Jan Geniesse, for helping me understand my characters in a deeper way. The Reverends Will Critzman and Gina Gore, for sharing their experiences of ministry. The BBBW: Catherine Anderson, Jan Brown, Alix Ford, Leah Guggenheimer, Lara Rosenthal, Lydia Snape, Darnley Stewart, Mariko Tada, and Sandra Weathers Smith, for almost twenty years of book club and never doubting I would get this done. Anne Wall, Jan Geniesse, and Julianne Mulvey, for parenting my child as if she were your own—and me, too, when I needed it. For Deborah Claymon, Christina Hall, Jennifer Huber, Kristina Loverro, and Lydia Snape—the gratitude I have for you could fill another book. My partner, Alfred Culliford, who puts up with my mess, tells excellent jokes, and challenges me to be my best self. Grayson Culliford, who adds her special laugh and lightness to my life. And finally, Eleanor Livings: I wrote the first draft of this book while I was waiting for you to be born, and I finished it so you would be proud of me. You are my truest inspiration.