The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan(89)
I refilled my glass from a bottle resting in an ice bucket that had been decorated to look like the bottom half of Santa’s red suit. “Excuse me—hey—up here!” I directed everyone’s attention to the front as I climbed up on a chair, backlit by the luminous tree that sparkled behind me. “Before we all get carried away celebrating, I just wanted to say thank you—all of you—from the bottom of my heart. Just when I thought my life had hit the very, very bottom, somehow, someway, each and every one of you helped me crawl out of that hole and then start to climb, higher than I ever thought possible. This whole time you have supported me and loved me, and I am so damn grateful I could burst.”
Tears of unadulterated happiness were leaking freely from my eyes. Hardly able to control the wave of emotions racing through me, I wiped at my cheeks with the back of my hand. I straightened my posture, sniffed hard, and cleared my throat. “I’m so excited about my future with Marley Is Dead, and with Manhattan, and mostly, with all of you. So, I guess there’s only one thing left to say.” I raised my glass high in the air. “In the wise words of Charles Dickens, ‘God bless us every one!’”
Clink.
AUTHORS’ NOTE
On May 23, 2022, the last phone booth in New York City was removed from its post on Seventh Avenue and West Fiftieth Street, just south of Times Square, and moved to the Museum of the City of New York.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Maria Gomez, for your unabashed enthusiasm and for making us part of the Montlake family. We shared a vision for this book and knew as soon as we met that this partnership was a match made in heaven. We couldn’t be more ecstatic to have you in our corner.
Thank you to Angela James, our encouraging developmental editor, who saw all the potential in this story and pushed us to make sure it was on the page. Our agent, Jill Marsal, whose feedback and advice helped make this book what it became, thank you for steering us in the right direction and having faith in this tenacious duo.
From Beth:
Thank you to my sister, Leslie Merlin, for showing me what it is to keep pushing toward your dreams. My mother, Diane Zamansky, my very first “editor” who would routinely return my letters from camp with corrections and revisions, red-marked for spelling and grammar mistakes. You taught me how to write and gave me my love of the written word. I will forever be grateful. And my father, Arthur Zamansky, who wouldn’t have read a single page but would have been prouder than anyone. Alice Ahmadieh, my mother-in-law and friend, your support means the world to me. Thank you Alyson Schwartz (my touchstone) and my crews both near (Raleigh) and far (NYC/London) who keep me grounded, laughing, and sane. I am lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. A million thank-yous to Danielle Modafferi for pulling me from the slush pile and becoming not only my “ride or die” writing partner, but one of my very best friends. Always, for Mashaal Ahmadieh, you are my archetype for every leading man. Without your unwavering belief, guidance, and love, none of this would have been possible. Finally, thank you to my beautiful Hadley Alexandra, far and away my greatest accomplishment.
From Danielle:
Once upon a time, I wrote a novel and then promptly swore I would never do it again. Instead, in 2016, I took my newly earned MFA in Writing Popular Fiction and my decade-plus of classroom experience as an English teacher and decided to become an indie publisher as a way to coach other authors on how to craft their best books. And it was through this experience that I met Beth, the first author I signed to my press. Together, we wrote and developed The Campfire Series (One S’more Summer, S’more to Lose, Love You S’more, and Tell Me S’more), and later Breakup Boot Camp. With each subsequent project, our creativity and collaboration soared! From day one, we just kinda stumbled into a process of cowriting quite naturally, and from that moment, we both agreed that we’d rather make a go of it together than on our own . . . and damn, I’m so glad that we have.
Long story short, Beth is the yin to my yang. Where I tend to overwrite flowery description and gushy emotional stuff, Beth is more straightforward and better with clarity and scene structure. (Case in point, check out the correlative length of our respective acknowledgments! lol!) We just complement one another so well, and only together have we finally reached the summit of accomplishing this lifelong goal.
Meeting Beth has proven to me that the world truly works in mysterious ways, and I am so grateful to her and for her every single day. Beth, my dear, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” Also, a special thank-you to her wonderful family (Hi, Mash and Haddie Bug!) for all of the support and man-hours you have put in to help Beth dedicate time to writing with me. I know how much of a team effort it is, and I am really grateful to you all for sharing her with me.
To my Firefly Hill Press family for their continued love and support. I love what we have built together and hope to continue to support your writing careers and books well into the future. And so much love to the hivemind at Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction (especially my June 2011 class)—I am so lucky to learn from and continue to be inspired by all the writers in my life.
To all of my students—both past and future. Thank you for teaching me to not take life too seriously, to enjoy each moment (even the hard ones), and to appreciate that learning is a lifelong process. Thank you for teaching me as much as I hope to have taught you.