Eden in Winter completes the trilogy that began with Fall from Grace, and continued with its prequel, Loss of Innocence, all concerning the Blaines of Martha’s Vineyard, and those men and women affected—for good or ill—by this complex and turbulent family. Needless to say, I am grateful to all those who made this project possible.
As before, my friend Dr. Charles Silberstein was instrumental in helping me imagine the complex psychological makeup of my characters, particularly Adam Blaine and Carla Pacelli. Bob Baer, Howard Hart, and, especially, James Smith, gave me the benefit of their experience as CIA field officers in depicting Adam’s ordeals in Afghanistan. And Tony- and Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden was incredibly generous and insightful in helping me imagine Carla as an actress and a woman.
For their assistance in understanding the ground rules for a medical examiner’s inquest in Massachusetts, I’m grateful to Judge Lance Garth and Assistant District Attorney Laura Marshard. My friend Dr. Jason Lew, Dr. Stephen Ralston, and nurse Lily Brown helped me depict the complexities of Carla’s pregnancy. My friends Al Giannini, and Dr. Maureen Strafford joined me in imagining Carla’s relationship to Catholicism. Father Michael Nagle enabled me to explore the lovely Catholic Church in Oak Bluffs. And Betsy Farver of the Betty Ford Center enabled me to better grasp Carla’s addiction and recovery.
As always, I benefited from the perceptive support of my agents, Mort Janklow, Anne Sibbald, and Cullen Stanley; my wonderful assistant and critic, Alison Thomas; my wife and most faithful reader, Nancy Clair; and my closest friend, Philip Rotner.
Special thanks to my friend and longtime publisher in the UK, David North of Quercus, and to my editor, Jo Dickinson. I’m particularly excited to be part of Quercus’s launch as an American publisher.
Finally, there is Dr. Bill Glazer, without whom this trilogy would not be remotely the same. With the keen understanding of a superb psychotherapist, Bill was tireless and insightful in helping me design the inner landscape of the Blaine family, and those they touched. As a keen sailor, he provided the sailing advice I needed in all three books, as well as suggesting the summer races that became the central metaphor of Fall from Grace. And as a dear friend, Bill has been wonderful company, and a continuing source of fun, counsel, and general wisdom about life. This book is hardly thanks enough.