If ever there was a novel that has been blessed with every conceivable type of support, it is What Comes After. It started at Goddard College, where the dedicated MFA faculty—and in particular my gifted advisers, Micheline Aharonian Marcom, Victoria Nelson, and Aimee Liu—urged me to remain open to my story’s mysteries even as they assisted me in finding its shape. My book then had the good fortune to land in the in-box of Mariah Stovall at Writers House, who found it in the slush pile, saw merit in that early draft, and put it before the woman who would become my wonder of an agent, the remarkable Susan Golomb. Susan and the brilliant Genevieve Gagne-Hawes helped me restructure and refine the work before sending it out into the world. Other members of the incredible Writers House team include Maja Nikolic, Peggy Boulos Smith, Natalie Media, Ana Espinoza, and Jessica Berger. And how lucky to have Rich Green representing media rights, a man with the heart, vision, and skill to help my characters find life in a new form.
There are so many to recognize in my writing life, including Jentel Artist Residency Program; the Friends at Pendle Hill, who surrounded me with stillness and loving hearts; and the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, where I met Jordonna Grace and Kim Rogers, two amazing writers who have provided friendship, insight, and love for more than a decade. And I must thank the many other wonderful writers who have provided critique and support along the way. These include my Goddard cohort and alums, my Seattle and Fort Mason writing groups, and the entire Port Townsend writing community. Particular thanks are due to Nancy Kepner, who is singularly responsible for guiding me into the writing life, and to Karen Clemens, Mark Clemens, Ellie Mathews, Carl Youngmann, Debra Borchert, and the late John Zobel.
There are many family members and friends who read my work and provided much needed feedback and encouragement, in particular: Alexa Curry, Susan Smith, Becky Fulfs, Ray Tompkins, Jen Schorr, Kris Houser, Larry Cheek, Al Bergstein, Liz Leedom, George Finkle, and the late Rosselle Pekelis, who was my staunchest ally from my earliest writing attempts and whom I miss terribly. Jon Schorr should be singled out for his decades of moral support, for his joy at my slightest success.
Which brings me to Riverhead Books and the entire Penguin Random House team. I cannot imagine a better experience as a debut novelist. I have been given the highest possible level of editorial assistance, production design, and marketing. I have been treated with great kindness, respect, and responsiveness. Many thanks to Geoffrey Kloske, Jynne Dilling Martin, and Kate Stark for their faith in this project, for their work in seeing it into the world. Thanks also to Alison Fairbrother for her insightful editing, Randee Marullo for missing nothing, Helen Yentus and Lauren Peters-Collaer for their gorgeous design work, Shailyn Tavella for helping this work find readers, and Delia Taylor for making my life easier throughout this process.
And, finally, my deepest gratitude to the incomparable Sarah McGrath, my editor at Riverhead, for sharing her heart and vision and extraordinary talent with me, for challenging, guiding, and inspiring me every step of the way. What Comes After is very much Sarah’s book too.