I am surrounded by love and for this I am the most grateful. Although I write alone, I create from the love given and received. There are many people I want to thank for helping me craft this story.

My agent, Kimberly Whalen, labored with me on this novel, pushing through every version and every word until we found the story that wanted to be told. Thank you, Kim. I am blessed to have you in my corner.

Much gratitude to the following:

To my editor, Jennifer Weis, who would not give up on this story, pushing me to get it “just right.” I am thankful for your keen eye and intuition.

To the team at St. Martin’s Press: I feel extremely blessed to be part of your “family.” What an honor. A special shout-out of thankfulness to Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, and Mollie Traver, for their immense support of this very particular story at this very particular time.

To my loving and understanding friends who support me, my work, and my irregular life. What, oh what, would I do without you? During this year of change, you were my rocks. Special hugs to Susan Clark, Sandee O., Beth Fidler, and Cate Sommer, for always, always listening.

To my writing community. It is a blessed thing to find souls who care about words and story and books as much as I do. Special jewels of gratitude to those who encouraged me to dig deeper, go further. Many thanks to Mary Alice Monroe, for reading the manuscript and encouraging me. Bless those authors who read early versions and sent words of praise: Emily Giffin, Robyn Carr, Diane Chamberlain, Sherryl Woods, Susan Wiggs, and Donna Ball. To my writing friends who find me on book tours and shelter me in their kindness; who listen with empathy, and encourage me and speak the truth; who laugh and speak on stages with me; who love writing and reading with the same passion: Ad Hudler, Kerry Madden, Michael Morris, Marjory Wentworth, Ellie Davis, Dorothea Benton Frank, Mary Kay Andrews, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, River Jordan, Karen Spears Zacharias, Jackie K. Cooper, Thomas Bell, Carol Fitzgerald, Stephanie Bond, Annabelle Robertson, Kathy Patrick, and many, many more (too many to list!). You remind me to keep on keeping on, and to find those words.

To my bookstore community, libraries, and SIBA: You are the steel backbone of why I do what I do. I am eternally thankful for your support.

I am consistently surprised and touched by the support and love I receive from my readers. I so wish I could thank every single one of you. This year you have touched my life in ways you can’t imagine.

Special thanks to you, Daniel Wallace, not only for your encouraging friendship and wise writing advice, but also for contributing your drawing skills to my written words (page 98).