Acknowledgments

When I lived in London, the majority of my friends were of Greek heritage. Although an outsider, I was welcomed into their circle and was able to enjoy the incredible culture and hospitality of this amazing group of people. Thank you for teaching me to make dolmades, or koupepia as those from Cyprus call them. Sorry I never learned how to fold the spanakopita properly. But thank you especially for sharing your love for your homeland. I hope my book has done it justice.

A huge thank you, too, to Alethea Spiridon Hopson for loving this book almost as much as I do and for your brilliant editing suggestions. I also want to acknowledge the teamwork and support of all those at Entangled who make sure every book is the best it can be. I truly appreciate all that you do. And to Liz, my undying thanks for making authors feel like partners.

To my readers, loyal and new, I do this for you. Okay, well a bit is for me because if I didn’t get these stories out I’d probably be medicated for constantly talking to myself. I already giggle loudly about random bits of dialogue that pop into my head at the least convenient moment. You have no idea how much I’ve laughed over, “I will not lie to my doctor to get sex pills for my grandfather.”

Of course, none of this would be possible without the love and support of my family. The sign on my wall says it all, “I smile because I’m your mother. I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Finally, to my support groups, the CR Sisters and my fellow writers at RWA-GVC, thank you. Your words of encouragement and understanding are priceless.