I often liken the act of finishing a novel to birthing a baby. Well, there were many midwives on hand to help bring this baby into the world.
First and foremost, I want to thank my amazing husband and partner, Robert L. Brown, for always being my “first reader-listener.” For always giving great advice and always falling in love with the characters as much as I do. Thank you for keeping the home fires burning. Thank you for never making me feel guilty for leaving you behind as I visit these imaginary worlds. Thank you for knowing I will always come back to you. This book is as much yours as it is mine, Brown. I love you. I couldn’t do me without you.
Thank you to my amazing son and first writing muse, Justin Bean. Son, you still make my breath catch inside my throat just like it did the first moment I held you. It is amazing to me that someone as phenomenal as you came from me. Thank you for being my constant cheerleader and inspiration. Thank you for seeing value in my words even before you understood their meaning, and thank you for embracing the writer who lives inside you. Your moment is coming.
Thank you to my dear friends and constant readers, Lauren Bishop-Weidner and Libby Filiatreau. You always give me such insightful comments. These characters are alive and breathing largely because of your feedback. Lauren, I especially thank you for sharing with me details from your childhood home. The Founder’s Day celebration and the character Mr. Tote exist because of your memories. I hope I did them justice.
Thank you to all of my many relatives, especially those who call to check on me and encourage me on the days I feel discouraged. Thank you Aunt Lenoria, Aunt Brenda, Aunt Yuvonne, Aunt Gloria, Aunt Jean, Uncle Fred, and Kim. Your kindness and love inspire me so much.
Paw Paw Joel, thank you for standing in the gap and filling the parental void left open with the passing of my daddy, M.C. Jackson and my mother, Gwendolyn English. I would not have been able to walk through the fire those losses created without you.
Thank you to my sisters and my sister-friends who have talked me off the ledge many, many times: Renee, Joeli, Anita, Adriena, Alita, Julia, Honi, Crystal, Carrie, Colleen, April, Mijiza, TaMara, Elaine, Krista, Kiesha, Emily, Allyson, Patsy W., Patricia V., and so many more. Thank you for being my rocks. My tribe. My inner circle.
Thank you to the many Ball State students, past and present, who have become like children to me. Every day you remind me why I teach and why I work so hard to be an inspiration to you.
Thank you to the following books: The Maid Narratives: Black Domestics and White Families in the Jim Crow South; Cooking in Other Women’s Kitchens: Domestic Workers in the South, 1865–1960; and Telling Memories Among Southern Women: Domestic Workers and Their Employers in the Segregated South.
Thank you to the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History in Atlanta, Georgia; the Genealogical Society of Henry and Clayton Counties, Inc. in McDonough, Georgia, and the staff at the courthouse in McDonough.
Thank you to the editorial and marketing teams at Thomas Nelson. I so appreciate you all for believing in this book and its potential to touch lives. Thank you to Kimberly Carlton, my editor extraordinaire. The first time we talked, I knew we were going to work well together. Our backgrounds are so different, but your willingness to get to know me and this world I created let me know that our differences were our strengths. I look forward to working with you again soon. I would also like to thank Amanda Bostic, Becky Monds, Savanna Carlton, Shannon Luders-Manuel, Jodi Hughes, Kerri Potts, Margaret Kercher, Nekasha Pratt, Matt Bray, and Marcee Wardell.
Thank you to my incredible agent and friend, Alice Speilburg. Alice, you and I have been through so much with this book. There were times when I almost gave up on writing it, but your unfailing belief in me kept me going. You encouraged me, you cheered me on, you commiserated with me, and then, when we got the offer, you got on the phone with me and celebrated. I am so happy our paths crossed and you said yes to me and my work.
Last but not least, thank you to the readers and booksellers. It is because of you my voice is more than a tree falling in the woods with no one there to hear it. You amplify my voice, and you allow me to keep writing because I know you are out there. Waiting. Thank you.