I wish to thank the following people for their tremendous insight, copious notes, relentless re-reads, support, and above all patience during the completion of this book: my exceptional trio of editors at HarperCollins U.S., UK, and Canada—Maya Ziv, Lynne Drew, and Lorissa Sengara; my astute, unflappable agents—the stiletto-heeled Jennifer Joel and sensible-shoed Jonny Geller; and self-professed Classics geek Madeleine Osborne at the offices of ICM, whose extensive help and enthusiasm have been nothing short of heroic. I’m extremely lucky to work with such intelligent, dedicated individuals.
I also want to acknowledge my husband, Gregg Liberi, and my son, Eddie, just because I can and because you’re the reason why all efforts are worthwhile.