Author’s Note from Ciji Ware
My first thank-you goes to the two other authors in this trilogy, Diana Dempsey and Kate Moore, for the honor of being part of this literary effort. It’s been an inspiring and exhilarating experience, to say nothing of being just plain fun!
Thanks, too, to talented San Francisco chef, Clare Molla, for sharing her world with me at local food events and over a few terrific lunches. The wonderful Harry Chapman has my gratitude for lending me his name as the CEO in this work. I also owe a huge debt to the “Ciji Betas” Diane Barr, Cynthia Mason, Linda Hammond, Donna Christie Kolkey, and my sister, Joy Ware—who gave this “draft writer” their early feedback on Version 1, and to my husband, Tony Cook, my loving partner in life’s adventures.
Every writer needs a safety net of friendship and support, and in addition to my family and friends just mentioned, the Women’s Dog Walking Group and members of the Sausalito Women’s Club make life in the maritime village where I live a joy.
And finally, my deepest appreciation to the Bradley family, owners of Amphora Nueva Berkeley Olive Oil Works, as well as McEvoy Ranch manager Dick Neilsen and his wife Linda who have hosted me numerous times among the spectacular olive groves and lavender fields of Petaluma, California. This one’s for you...
Author’s Note from Diana Dempsey
In 1993, my sister Debbie adopted a year-old baby girl from Kazakhstan. Three years later, she adopted a four-month-old girl from Moscow. Those delightful infants have grown into my lovely nieces Alyssa and Jacinda, and because of them I have long wanted to write an adoption story.
No two adoptions are the same, but at their core all share loss, heartbreak, joy, fulfillment, and love. For every orphan who is placed with a family, there are hundreds, thousands of children whose dreams come to naught. International adoptions have plummeted by fifty percent in the last decade, largely due to more restrictive policies by foreign governments. My heart aches as the number of orphaned children overseas only continues to rise.
I traveled with my sister to pick up tiny Alyssa, and our journey to Moscow and Akmola (now known as Astana) is one I will never forget. I hope Veronica’s tale will shed some light on the anguished yet wondrous path birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children tread.
I would like to thank my wonderful husband Jed for his help with my novella. He always has to slog through the roughest drafts. Thank you, too, to my dear friend and marvelous writer Bill Fuller for his insights. I am also grateful to my fellow author in this anthology, Kate Moore, who proved she is not only a splendid storyteller, but a perceptive reader, too. And many thanks to the very talented Ciji Ware, who invited me to participate in this project and also made a key introduction when it came time to research the world of opera. Thank you, Ciji! As it happens, my best source prefers to remain anonymous; but she knows who she is, and I thank her.
Author’s Note from Kate Moore
This little story grew and took shape with inspiration from many sources. First, a big thank you to my fellow authors, Ciji Ware and Diana Dempsey, for inviting me to join them in the project. It’s been great fun. My thanks, as always, go to a group of brainstorming authors—Carol Culver, Diana Dempsey, Barbara Freethy, Lynn Hanna, and Barbara McMahon. Further thanks go to Hank Biddle, Senior Vice President, Western Region, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, who provided invaluable information about hotel staffing and operations. And a final thank you to my son Kevin for showing me how a thirty-something person experiences San Francisco.