DEAR READERS: 2021 IS AN anniversary for me—marking three decades of writing fiction. Many thanks to all of you for buying and reading my books over all these years, and for allowing me to do this work I love. Please know how much I missed meeting my fans in 2020 when my book tour for Hello, Summer was canceled. I fervently hope this virus will soon be wiped out, and I’ll be back on the road, hugging your necks and signing your books in person. I was particularly grateful this year for all the booksellers and librarians, who, when the world shut down last March because of COVID-19, somehow still managed to put books into the hands of readers. You guys are rock stars! I also have a heart full of love for all those readers who joined our amazing Friends & Fiction community in 2020—both on our Facebook page, our Wednesday night Facebook live webcasts, and our Friends & Fiction podcast. Please stick around, all of you, because I have lots more stories to tell!
The best part of writing a book set in a vintage Florida motel is doing the research—especially when it’s gray and chilly in Atlanta. I went knocking on doors one sunny February day on Anna Maria Island and met Ken Gerry, the longtime co-owner of the White Sands Beach Resort, who was incredibly helpful telling me about his years growing up at a mom-and-pop motel. Huge thanks also to Laurie Davidson of the Sunset Inn and Cottages in beautiful Sunset Beach, and to Janet and Arthur Czyszcon, owners of the Page Terrace Beachfront Hotel in Treasure Island, Florida.
Mary Balent Long, Esq., of Abrams, Davis, Mason, and Long was once again invaluable when it came to research on the legalities of tax and estate planning. My dear friend and neighbor (and retired assistant US attorney) Sharon Douglas Stokes helped with research on federal racketeering charges, and retired FBI agents Wayne and Sharon Johnson of Atlanta were kind enough to tell me about their days with the agency—and advise on firearms.
I cast a net into the virtual waters of the internet and was fortunate enough to find Megan Wolleston who helped with research on the technical aspects of hidden video cameras.
As always, I am totally indebted to my publishing team. My editor, Jen Enderlin, and agent, Stuart Krichevsky, of the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency (and his crackerjack staff), my dear friend and marketing maven Meg Walker of Tandem Literary, and publicist Kathleen Carter of Kathleen Carter Communications.
In a year when the pandemic shook the foundations of our world, and their New York offices shut down, the team at St. Martin’s Press: Sally Richardson, Lisa Senz, Dori Weintraub, Tracey Guest, Jessica Zimmerman, Brant Janeway, Erica Martirano, Anne Marie Tallberg, Jeff Dodes, Tom Thompson, Michael Storrings, and of course, their fearless leader, Jennifer Enderlin, were able to seamlessly shift to virtual offices. I am more grateful than words can convey for their dedication and enthusiasm through these troubling times.
When it came down to the hard stuff—the actual writing of this book, my 7 a.m. writing sprints with my author pals from Friends & Fiction—Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, and Mary Alice Monroe, saved the day.
On the home front, if you have to be on lockdown for months on end, I can think of no other human beings I’d rather be with than my family—Katie and Mark, Griffin and Molly, Andy and Meg, and of course, the captain of our ship of fools, my husband and love, Tom Trocheck.