So much of this story was based on my own experiences that I didn’t have to do a great deal of research for this book, but there were several people hugely instrumental in helping fill in the blanks. Lisa Patton and Virginia Kay helped bring me up to speed on the intricacies of current Southern girls’ boarding prep schools. Erik Franey helped bring Ash’s computer skills to life. Laura Benedict kept me honest when I started veering off course. Paige Crutcher and Ariel Lawhon provided much needed queso dates and were always there for idea bouncing. Jeff Abbott was always there for those all-is-lost moments, and Leigh Kramer hand-held, cheerled, and otherwise kept the trains running on time. On our private Facebook group, the ladies of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College jumped in with their favorite remembrances and ghost stories, which helped me flesh out my memory.
My team: Scott Miller of Trident Media Group, Nicole Brebner of MIRA Books, and Holly Frederick of Curtis Brown are truly the best a girl can ask for. The amazing group of people at MIRA and Harper Canada who work so hard behind the scenes to get this book out, into your hands, are the very best in the business. Many thanks to Craig Swinwood; Loriana Sacilotto; Heather Foy; Amy Jones; Randy Chan; Margaret Marbury; Miranda Indrigo; Ashley MacDonald; Olivia Gissing; Elissa Smith, Margot Mallinson; Chris Wolfgang; Lisa Basnett; Marianna Ricciuto; Erin Craig, Sean Kapitain, Malle Vallik; Carol Dunsmore; Leo MacDonald; Cory Beatty; Kaitlyn Vincent; Irina Pintea; Karen Ma; Michael Millar; and my incredible publicist, Emer Flounders, who all need a nod of thanks and oodles of gratitude. And cake. Let them eat cake.
For my family, especially my parents, for giving me the opportunity to go to R-MWC and explore my gifts in that wonderful environment, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And my darling Randy, the keeper of my heart. You were the sounding board for this idea from the very beginning, on that fateful drive across Florida, and I will forever be grateful you pushed me to follow my heart and write this book. I love you so much!
On September 23, 1992, my friend from R-MWC, Dail Dinwiddie, went missing from Five Points in Columbia, South Carolina, after a U2 concert. It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty-seven years since she went missing (oddly enough, to the day, as I’m writing this on the anniversary of her disappearance.) Someone out there knows what happened to Dail. It is my fervent hope and prayer that we find answers. If you know anything, suspect anything, please contact the Columbia Police Department Crimestoppers at 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372); text to CRIMES (9274637); or log in to www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and click on the red “Submit a Tip” button. Together, we can finally discover what happened that night, and bring some peace to Dail’s family and friends.
I am forever indebted to the amazing booksellers and librarians out there who work so hard to elevate literacy in their communities. And for you. Keep reading, friends. I appreciate you so very much.