ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When I started writing this book, I thought maybe this time around I wouldn’t need as much help from family, friends, and writing professionals. I was like a newlywed on a honeymoon thinking, Marriage is not that hard—love is all you need .

Then the universe laughed and laughed and laughed.

I loved this book at first blush, but I needed a lot more than a warm mushy feeling and a few jokes to finish it. I needed the support from the people in my life who never say, “Ann, shut up about your book.” Christa Allen, Erin Celello, Tyler Fish, Karen Karbo, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Samantha Hoffman, and Lisa Roe were available for three a.m. texts like, “Do you think my protagonist should [insert bad idea here]?” And wisely, kindly, they told me to shut my phone off and go to sleep.

My nonwriting friends Tammy Scerpella, Linda Wick, Carolyn Bach, Teri Osgood, and Tyce Shirly fed me and listened endlessly as I talked about imaginary people while problem-solving an industry they knew nothing about.

I don’t know how to even begin to thank my agents Jeff Kleinman and Rachel Ekstrom at Folio Literary Agency. I flailed around and they waited until I was finished and then they sold this book to Lake Union. I am so very grateful for them.

Look, I don’t want to get ridiculous here, but my editor, Christopher Werner, seems to get me in the way I’ve always wanted to be gotten. With his and Tiffany Yates Martin’s unparalleled enthusiasm and sharp insights, this book is far better than it would ever have been without them. I don’t know what I did in the world to deserve them.

A huge thank-you to Erika Westby and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where I spent several days touring, talking, and meeting animals. Who knew heaven was so close to earth?

The Tall Poppy Writers, my online writer family, has supported my dreams in so many ways. I can never thank them enough for caring about helping writers find readers as much as I do. Bloom, our online readers group, is the happiest place on the internet, and knowing there are readers is what keeps me loving what I do.

Finally, John, Julie, and Meghan: you all make everything work.