I wish I could be like Tru and write a song of love and gratitude to all those who helped me all the way through my first thoughts of trying to write fiction to finishing this book. It would be a lengthy ballad, with high and low notes and occasional dissonance, ultimately with a happy ending. But I’m no songwriter, so I’m just going to have to break this down into parts.

The chorus of this song I’d write is full of supporters who were encouraging from the earliest drafts, especially my writing group: Bethany Dellinger, Susan Stewart, Susan Lefler, Art Grand, and Karen Miller, to whom I’m extra grateful for reading multiple drafts and for providing insightful comments without which I couldn’t have gone forward. My brilliant cousin, Sue Corbett, had the thankless job of reading awful first drafts of multiple efforts and gave me some of the best advice; I am grateful for her encouragement, her time, and for inspiring me to try to do this in the first place. Thanks, too, go to Anne Slatton for reading a draft and teaching me everything I know about writing dialogue and to Dawn Cusick for being my sounding board.

My agent, Claire Anderson-Wheeler, saw potential in a not-quite-ready story and with incredibly sharp vision helped me shape it into something that works. Her support and belief in me means everything. I am the luckiest author I know.

Thank you to my brilliant editor, Katie Cunningham, for her insight and understanding of the story I was trying to tell and for making it better. Thank you for believing in this book and bringing it into the world. And thank you to Hannah Mahoney and Maggie Deslaurier for their keen eyes, Sherry Fatla for the interior design, Matt Roeser for the cover, and the whole crew at Candlewick.

Thank you to my family and friends.

Finally, to Andrew for always supporting and believing in me and never asking to read it. And to Maeve and Finn for inspiring me to stick with it. This little family is the sweet melody in my life that makes my heart sing.