If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes an army to get a book published. Bottomless gratitude to Annelise Robey and Andrea Cirillo, who continue to believe in my work. And to the rest of the Jane Rotrosen Agency staff, who work tirelessly on behalf of so many writers, thank you for all you do. A particular shout-out to Don W. Cleary and Don Cleary, Christina Prestia, Julianne Tinare, Michael Conroy, Peggy Boulos Smith, Liz Van Buren, and, always, Jane Rotrosen Berkey, who has advocated for the bully breeds for years.
Thank you to the good folks at St. Martin’s Press, namely, Joan Higgins, Sara Goodman, Chris Holder, John Murphy, Kerry Nordling, Sally Richardson, Anne Marie Tallberg, Stephanie Davie, and Lisa Davis. Thank you Young Lim, for the wonderful cover.
Especial gratitude to Caitlin Dareff, who rides herd so much.
I am indebted to the incomparable Carol Edwards, who keeps me from misplacing my modifiers. Even as I write this, I worry about comma placement. Thanks also to the tireless players at Macmillan, for keeping the voices in my head accessible to other ears: Brant Janeway, Samantha Beerman, Mary Beth Roche, and Robert Allen.
And to my dear Jennifer Enderlin. What words can express how deeply grateful I am to have you in my life?
The LakeView Hotel is a creation of my imagination, but the inspiration for it is the Whitcomb Summit Retreat in Florida, Massachusetts. Thank you, Jim Pedro, for sharing some of your story with me.