Acknowledgments

Many people contributed to this story and to me becoming an author. First, I would like to thank my agent, Jenoyne Adams, who encouraged the creation of this book and who stuck with me even when I was losing faith in myself. Jenoyne promised she was “in it for the long haul,” and I hope she knows how much those words meant to me. I’d like to thank my editor, Kate Duffy, for showing such enthusiasm for this project. Kate championed this book from the moment it touched her desk and that support kept me driven to live up to her excitement.

 

I’d also like to thank Candice Smith for her speedy and thoughtful edits.

 

If not for the influence of countless teachers, this book would not exist. I’d like to thank those in Ridley High School’s English Department and BU’s College of Communication for helping me hone my craft. Also, there are many magazine editors who kept me writing every day for years, and those experiences greatly contributed to the ease with which I write now. In addition, I have many lifelong friends who volunteered to read my novels, and I thank you all for your encouragement and wit. I’ll try not to include too many of your quotes in my next book. And I’d especially like to thank Jackie Baskin for double-checking all of my Spanish phrases.

 

I want to thank my family, not one of whom laughed when I told them I was going to write a novel. I greatly appreciate the Wallachs who restrained themselves from asking “how the book was going” no matter how badly I know they wanted to—I couldn’t have joined a better family. And I’d particularly like to thank Paula for taking so much time to carefully edit this manuscript. I’d like to thank my brother, Lou, for giving me work to pay the bills while I pursued this goal. I’d like to thank my sister, Natalie, for being the first person to read my first book and for telling me that she knew it was going to happen. I’m indebted to all my relatives in Puerto Rico, especially Ventura, for showing me my roots. And above all, I’d like to thank my parents, Lou and Chris Rodriguez, who instilled me with a belief that I should find a career I love.Writing truly doesn’t feel like work and their support helped me to dream big.

 

I’d like to acknowledge my grandparents who are no longer with me, Marcello, Antonia, Raymond and Stella, for the inspiration that led to the creation of this story. Lastly, I want to thank my husband, Jordan, for reminding me of that fated psychic, for being my first reader and biggest fan, for telling me to quit my day job to pursue this passion, and for making me very, very happy. We did this together.