I am deeply grateful for my agent, Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, who continues to point me toward my best work and my best self. Her foresight, wit, tenacity, and integrity are unmatched. Danya Kukafka loved Shiner with all her might, and so much of that love is in the heartbeat of these pages. Sarah McGrath took this story to a new level I didn’t know I could reach. Getting to work with her has been this writer’s dream come true.
Alison Fairbrother, May-Zhee Lim, and Delia Taylor at Penguin Random House all worked tirelessly on my behalf. Thanks also to Maureen Sugden, Andrea Monagle, Lucia Raatma, and Anna Jardine. I couldn’t be more excited to be a member of the incredible Riverhead family. Thank you for embracing me with open arms. Heartfelt thanks also to Linda Kaplan, everyone at DeFiore and Company, and Sonatine.
I worked many mornings at the Franklin Township Library, and I’m indebted to its wonderful staff. The Foxfire series and Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington were instrumental in the early days of my writing, and my friends at Black Draft Distillery patiently answered all my questions while also holding my baby. Their moonshine is the best I’ve had, and visiting their operation is the happiest way to spend an afternoon.
This story wouldn’t have become a book without the love and support of my incredible community. Paula Beisser and Haile Bell loved and cared for my children so I could work. They are both treasured members of our family. I’m also thankful for the stellar writers I’m lucky to call good friends: Samantha K. Smith knows me better than I know myself, Jessie Male always makes me laugh, and Krystal Sital brightens any room she enters. Anica Mrose Rissi is the best lunch date, a source of wisdom, and a generous spirit.
Hannah, Kathy, and Amanda are three faithful friends from home I cannot live without. Thank you for continually modeling love, forgiveness, and a great sense of humor. My late mentor and friend Louise DeSalvo left her heart and her fingerprints all throughout the pages of this book and in my life. Thank you to her family for loving me the way she did.
My parents talked through all the details of this story with me, from cigarette brands to outhouses. Thank you for believing in me, always. And to the rest of my family—the Burnses, the Allans, the Kandathils, and the Mammens—thank you for your unwavering support and for reminding me of home.
My husband, Mat, and our kids, Sammy and Sana, kept me great company while I wrote this book. I love getting to spend my life with the three of you.