Chapters (37)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
Mom’s the one who read books to us (my brothers and me) from the very beginning. I don’t recall a time when we didn’t have books, when there wasn’t some opportunity to lose oneself in a story. All kinds, too. The full leatherbound Encyclopedia Britannica that took up two shelves on the living room bookcase and allowed me to learn about the gods of Ancient Greece and Rome, about other countries, authors, presidents, exotic animals, history, civics, and astronomy. We had Berenstain Bears and Green Eggs and Ham. The Three Investigators, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and even the Reader’s Digest condensed stories that usually only hit the highlights of the year’s biggest novels. I’m so grateful for that. And for the loving support she has always given me and continues to give me still. I love you, Mom.
Dad taught us about movies. Specifically classic films that involved singin’ in the rain, Monument Valley, climbing every mountain, noir, westerns, the best years of our lives, all manner of singing and dancing, and an endless supply of WWII. Along the way, he’d tell us stories he’d picked up about the actors or directors involved in the movies we watched, like our own personal TCM host. He was an accountant at an Oklahoma-based oil pipeline company, but he gave me the best education on movies I could’ve ever hoped to receive. He passed in 2000, and I miss him dearly.
To Eileen Kreit and Claire Tattersfield from Penguin Random House, I extend profound gratitude. You have taken a risk with me, then helped me every step along the way with patience, positivity, and grace, and I hope you feel it’s been worthwhile. I know I do.
Regina Hayes guided me through the entire writing process with kindness, wisdom, and boundless humor. When I was told she would be my editor, it was prefaced with “She’s a legend.” And now I see why. I don’t know how I got so fortunate as to be able to have the divine Ms. Hayes as my first editor, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you!
Rhonda Bloom has been my manager since the sale of my second screenplay and has made herself available to read everything I’ve written no matter what time of the day or night, which is something every writer desperately needs. Thank you, Rhonda, for your time, insight, feedback, and advice!