For Jake Smith;

for Genevieve;

for the cruisers we met along the way;

for my longtime editor, Claire Wachtel, who waited for this one so patiently; and with thanks to the people involved in making my new life possible and whole: Arya Nielsen, Surendra Patel, Deborah Schneider, Dr. Erika Schwartz, and Oprah Winfrey, whose kindness set in motion the experiences that launched Blue Water.

Thanks to Ted Doran for Top Billing, to David Hartmann for the table saw, and to KD for a story that affected me deeply. I’m indebted to Scott Rost for his legal expertise and to Diane Goodman for a swift final read. Extra special thanks to “no rules, no fear” Sylvia J. Ansay for last-minute babysitting.

And enduring love and gratitude to Ann Patchett and Karl VanDevender.