What I wanted to say in April was different in July and changed again in November. Rewrite followed rewrite. I pulled my hair out, cursed the characters, the story, swore I would never do this again. It was a long, arduous process. By the year’s end, I read my novel for the last time, tweaked the final words, and smiled with satisfaction. My story was told. I’d sharpened and shared my perspective of 2020 through the voices of my characters, especially the two Rutledge women of two generations: Cara and Linnea.

I realize, too, that like so many other aspects of my life in 2020, I could not have written this novel alone.

I must begin my acknowledgments with those women I spent the pandemic with as we sheltered in place at my house in the mountains: Marguerite Martino, Ruth Cryns, and Lauren Rutledge. To the Women of Windover—thank you for the early morning sessions with birdsong, poetry, coffee, and hope. And to my mountain girlfriend Cindy Boyle, thank you for brainstorm sessions and messages of encouragement. Tweet-tweet!

My heartfelt thanks to Sally Murphy for reading and editing early drafts of the novel, making sure all the science and nature facts were correct. And she’s fabulous at copyedits, too. Kelly Thorvalson, thank you again for sharing your expertise on the world of conservation and sea turtles. You both are an inspiration to so many.

Love and gratitude go to Gretta Kruesi for helping me introduce the next generation of young, spirited, realistic, and likeable characters. And to James Cryns for giving the men in my novel more bite and laugh-out-loud wit. Thank you both for your ideas, outlines, and edits that helped me deliver a new freshness.

Much love and thanks to Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, and Meg Walker, (always alphabetical!) my writing friends and sisters, for hanging in there with me, sparking the writing sprints each morning, and generally encouraging us all to move en masse forward with our novels sans fear or distractions. We also surprised even ourselves in 2020 with the creation of the incredible Friends and Fiction online program that seemed both serendipitous and destiny, and that brought to us a legion of new experiences and online friends.

I began this book with a new editor as well. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to Hannah Braaten for taking on the seventh book in a series with fresh eyes and ideas, for check-in phone calls, and for infinite patience as this story took shape. And to my superb copy editor, Joal Hetherington, who may know my backlist better than I do. I am indebted to you both for your skill and sensitivity.

What can I say to the rest of my Gallery team—you who have shown such kindness, and have been stalwart supporters of my novels and me? I am deeply grateful to Jennifer Bergstrom, Jennifer Long, Jennifer Robinson, Aimee Bell, Sally Marvin, Eliza Hansen, Michelle Podberezniak, Bianca Salvant, Lisa Litwack, Andrew Nguyen, and everyone at Gallery who helps brings my words to readers.