The first thanks goes to my families, the Treicks and DeBoards, and their extensions—the Battses and Cervanteses and Kranzes and Wills, the Visses and Boons and Cefres, and the Davenports and Ayalas and Youngs—for their love and support. Special shout-outs to John DeBoard, my biggest fan, Beth Boon and Sara Viss for reading early drafts, Beth Slattery for the give-and-take critique every writer needs, and Kelly Jones for reading late into the night and then meeting me for an emergency lunch. (I so needed that.) Love and thanks to the extended Stonecoast/University of Southern Maine community of faculty and writers, especially Paige Levin. (We’re only “eight away,” you know!)
Every writer needs a group like the English Girls—Mary Swier, Cameron Burton, Alisha Vasche, Jenna Valponi, Amie Carter and Michelle Charpentier—and I’m so blessed to have these women as friends. I’m also grateful to others who listened to my ramblings, especially when they had little choice in the matter: my Wexford’s trivia buddies, my comp students, and the members of the Writer’s Guild at San Joaquin-Delta Community College.
The team at Harlequin MIRA was amazing—Erika Imranyi championed this book from its inception, and Michelle Meade helped me to see through to the heart of the story and make the book in every way better. I loved that Michelle seemed to feel the same way about the Kaufmans that I did: that they were real people we just needed to understand a bit better. Much appreciation also to my agent Melissa Flashman at Trident Media Group, who has proven to be both a sounding board for my scattered ideas and an invaluable resource for my panicked questions. Alanna Ramirez Garcia—good thoughts are still coming your way.
Since The Mourning Hours was published, I’ve heard from readers across North America (especially—oh, my goodness!—readers in Wisconsin). Thank you for allowing my little book into your lives. To the booksellers and bloggers and librarians who eat, sleep and breathe books—I’m proud to be your kindred spirit.
As I was researching this book, Craig Macho gave me a much-needed, slightly terrifying, after-hours crash course on firearms. Any errors in that regard are solely mine. Other research was conducted along I-80 in a madcap version of Curtis and Olivia’s road trip—from Oberlin, Ohio, back to California with a few interesting detours en route. Will and I were thrilled to connect with Dawn Cordes, Jim and Nancy Kwasteniet, Joel Hood, and Sean and Laurie Covington along the way. I like to think my parents were there in spirit (rather than at home in California) as we crossed the plains and crested the Rockies—my dad grumbling at the frequency of the bathroom stops, my mom insisting we brake for every brown historical marker.
On that note, much love and gratitude is owed to my forever road-trip companion and coconspirator, Will DeBoard. There are crazy ideas I haven’t even had yet that I already know you’ll agree to, take on and stand behind. This book—like all our adventures—wouldn’t be possible without you.