My appreciation goes out to every reader of Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose. Your e-mails and letters have meant so much to me. I especially want to thank the amazing booksellers in the D.C. area, in Tampa Bay, and in Connecticut, who were so enthusiastic about my book and helped me set up rocking signings. You’re the best. Also, thanks to the Random House Get Lit team for choosing my book and helping to spread the word.
Lots of credit is due to those who helped this novel find its way into print: my genius editor Kerri Buckley, savvy copy editor Pam Feinstein, tireless publicist Shawn O’Gallgher, Brant Janeway, Cynthia Lasky, Gina Wachtel, Kelly Chian, Paolo Pepe, Lynn Andreozzi, Lynn Newmark, Tracy Devine, and, of course, Nita Taublib and Irwyn Applebaum. A special shout out to Pamela Testa, who makes a very beautiful Amy. Luanne Rice, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, and Cara Lockwood, thank you for reading advanced copies of my debut. Also, to Mike Gibson, for working so hard on my website. And I can’t forget the “regulars” on my blog—you’ve made so many of my days.
More gratitude is due my agent, Deidre Knight, and her entire staff for their boundless energy and hard work. I’d also like to thank the agency sistahs and the members of my writing organizations, both official and those as secret as any society: the RWA Tampa chapter and the Chick Lit Writers of the World, the Non-Bombs, and the other group with the initials NB.
To my fellow writers Marley Gibson, Cheryl Wilson, Kelly Remick, Justine Larbalestier, and Julie Leto, thank you for your advice, critiques, and support. I am so lucky to have colleagues as talented and generous as you.
I am overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from my coworkers, friends, and family. I love you all. Mom and Dad, I can’t tell you how much your excitement and plans have meant to me in the past two years. That party was incredible. Everyone says so. And to my future mom and dad, thank you for sharing so much with me. And to Dan, thank you for listening to every word, calling me on the crap, and making the night of my launch party utterly unforgettable (as if it wasn’t already)!
Amy owes many of her turns of phrase to the classic works of literature she studies; I applaud the teachers who introduced me to them. And last, but not least, I am in debt to my fellow sons and daughters of Eli for inspiring my stories, and to my secret sources, for allowing me inside their wonderful world.