It truly takes a village to birth a novel, and I have a lot of people who have helped with this one. Thanks to James Hanna for the name of the pub, the Mud Scutter. Thanks to Shirley Goldberg for the name of the tavern, the Olde Towne Tavern. Thanks to my husband, Larry Michael, for the name Tony Shannon. It was his late cousin’s name. Thanks to the Clifton House Bed-and-Breakfast for the inspiration and Nancy Niehaus for the inside scoop.
Thanks to my Sarasota Inkylinks Writers Group: Robert Bowlby, Lizzie Brown, Shirley Goldberg, James Hanna, Marisa Mangani, and Teri Moore. Although we are more spread out these days, and I miss our potlucks, the camaraderie and support are not diminished. Thank you for all your help in pulling this Harrington House world together.
And to my Mystery Writers of America Critique Group: Lisa Black, Harold Emanuel, Ralph Hornbeck, Cindy Martin, and Dr. Martin Hill Ortiz. Your input helps make my writing so much better.
Thanks to my Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime for all your support over the years, especially to Wendy Dingwall, Lisa Malice, Martha Reed (thanks for the twist on the title), Barbara Ryan, Sarah Glenn, Gwen Mayo, and many other members with whom I’ve worked and attended festivals and panel discussions.
Thanks to the members of the Sarasota Ex Libris Book Club, who, for the last twenty years, have pushed me out of my reading comfort zone to embrace genres other than mysteries and suspense. But mysteries will always be my favorite. Victoria Bannister, Janet Fridh, Sue Griffith, Cheryl Klostermann, Etta Kolombatovich, Kathy McGarry, Pam Menard, and Judy Timmons—thank you!
Thanks to the beta readers who read the not-quite-finished manuscript: Janet Fridh, Sheila Hand, Etta Kolombatovich, Pam Menard, Erin Michael, and Judy Timmons. Your input is always necessary and appreciated.
My family is so supportive, and I couldn’t do this without them. To my husband and children who tell me how proud they are of me—you don’t know how much that means to me.