WRITING IS SOLITARY WORK, but making a book is not. Two wonderful groups of writers contributed their time and talent to every chapter of Holding the Net. For invaluable feedback on the manuscript, I thank the members of my Miami writing group—Andrea Askowitz, Betsy Blankenbaker, Nicholas Garnett, Jeff Weinstock, Maureen Daniel Fura, Jeanne Panoff, Vanessa Michel Rojas, and especially Christina Freedman, whose belief in the project was a constant touchstone for me; and my writing group on Cape Cod—Hugh Blair-Smith, Tamsen George, Sandy Macfarland, and especially Barbara Sillery, who not only read multiple drafts of each chapter, but also shared publishing advice. I also thank the following talented authors whose workshops and classes helped shape my writing: Ann Hood, Les Standiford, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Dani Shapiro, and Joyce Maynard. I am indebted to Cathi Hanauer, who provided skillful editorial contributions and generously shared her expertise as my manuscript developed into this book. Thanks also to family and friends (my beta readers), who provided comments and suggestions along the way—especially Lea Roark, Kate Callahan, Irma Emery, my husband Klein, and, of course, my sister Barbara—and to Cathryn Lykes for skillful copyediting and proofreading. To my “retreaters”—Karen Steinhauser, Gwynn Sullivan, and Jeanne Twohig—thank you for fanning the embers of my desire to write until I could no longer ignore the conflagration. And to my dear friend Mary Porter, thank you for introducing me to Dede Cummings of Green Writers Press/Green Place Books.