Behind this book is a literal army of people who have cheered me on throughout every step of the way, from my scribblings as a fledgling writer to the finished manuscript and its eventual release. I like to think of them as Team Tremayne, and I am so grateful to have had their support during this journey.
Thank you to my mom, Dorinda, who is by far my biggest fan and most voracious reader. Thank you to my father David, my brother Adam, and my nephew Connor, who never miss a chance to tell me how proud they are. Thank you to my husband, Gary, who gave me that little push I needed to stop doubting and start writing. Thank you to my mother-in-law, Patricia, for her test reads of my work. And thank you to my children, Elise and Reid, who understood why mom was a little cranky when I was working under my first big deadline.
It takes a lot of time and patience to be a beta reader. These people not only signed up for the job, they helped me send out a manuscript that was polished. Huge thanks to my writing partner Erika Bigelow, who was my first line of defense. Heartfelt thanks to my mother Dorinda for her attention to detail. Big thanks to Shannon Sullivan and Heather Bottomley, and many thanks to Rachel Whitaker, Anna Waller, Mary Murphy, and authors Samantha Saxon, L.E. Wilson, and Alexandra Sipe. I couldn’t have done it without you!
To my fantastic agent Kevan Lyon, thank you for helping me navigate the business, for seeing something worth sharing with the world, and for the hard work in getting it there. Thank you to Priyanka Krishnan, my editor, for giving me that important first chance, for being so easy to work with, and for your invaluable and thoughtful input on my books. And thank you to the entire team at Avon/Harper Collins who have worked to help to make this dream of mine a reality.
Thank you to the members of my writing chapters, the GSRWA and the ERWA, for teaching me, guiding me, and for sharing in the joys of my success and allowing me to also share in yours. To author Jamie Michele, thank you for referring me to the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Thanks to Eryn Frank for her unflagging friendship. Thank you to Jane Austen for her inspiring work, and thanks to Kristi Beckley, who loaned me the copy of Pride and Prejudice that got this party started. I appreciate every last person who has been a friend and supported me, both in person and online.
And thanks to you, dear reader! I would be honored to have you join my team.
Fondly,
Marie