What fun it has been to gather again at the corner of Trumpet and Vine—and what a debt I owe to many, including my home state of Louisiana that provides flavor to write about.
A special thanks to:
My agent Janet Grant, editor Julee Schwarzburg, and the entire team at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. What a blessing it is to have such help on this adventure.
To friends and readers who step up in numerous ways, from phone calls and letters to blackberry cobblers, including Ginger Hamilton, Carol Lovelady, and Kathie Rowell; Karen Enriquez, who helps with my Spanish language questions; the creative Mary Dark, who inspired the name New Wine; Cindy Gleason Johnson, who shared her mini beignet recipes; Sarah Leachman with her Ashland recipes; and a host of other authors, including Carla Stewart, Kellie Gilbert, Lisa Wingate, Liz Talley, and Lenora Worth, who enrich my life in ways too numerous to list; and to my family, the Paces and the Christies.
And always to my husband, Paul.