Thank you to the lovely Egidia Barbetta, daughter of the late Italian cycling great Giuseppe Pancera. Egidia took the time to meet and talk with me about Italian cycling of the 1920s and 1930s, which helped me with the characterization of the Terrizzi family. I also found helpful The Story of the Giro d’Italia, volume 1 （2011）， by Bill and Carol McGann.
So much more is known now about dyslexia than in the time period of this novel, but to learn about dyslexia, I turned to expert Diane Reott, the then–executive director of the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Society. Diane helped me so much not only with the history of dyslexia, but with its emotional impact on young people. Thank you so much to Diane.
That said, any and all mistakes in the novel are mine.
Thanks so much to the incredible team at my publisher, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, starting with Ivan Held and Christine Ball, who were so encouraging when I told them I wanted to write the historical novel that I had always dreamed of. I had known and admired Ivan for a long time, and he paired me with the great Mark Tavani, a brilliant editor and a wonderful guy to boot. Mark gave me pep talks during the writing process, since even allegedly professional writers need positive reinforcement. Mark also made an amazing edit to an early draft of the manuscript, which increased its emotional impact a thousandfold, and I am very grateful to him for that and everything else.
Thanks to the rest of the great gang, including Allison Dobson, Sally Kim, Ashley McClay, Alexis Welby, Laura Wilson, Katie Grinch, Emily Mlynek, Nishtha Patel, Anthony Ramondo, Danielle Dieterich, and designer Lorie Pagnozzi.
Thank you so much to my terrific agent, Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group, because he was the first person to whom I told this story. Other agents might have been wary of the risk, but not Robert. He was so excited that it made me feel as if I could do it, and what I love most about him is that he is completely positive. This novel would not have been written without his support. Thanks to his incredible team at Trident: Erica Silverman, Nicole Robson, Nora Rawn, Caitlin O’Beirne, and Sulamita Garbuz.
I am lucky enough to have besties/assistants, and I needed them for Eternal. Thanks so much to Laura Leonard, who not only encouraged me to write the novel but also accompanied me to Rome, where we investigated everything we could and knocked on doors to get our questions answered. We even trespassed once, but we got our answer, which is pure Laura. She knows how much I love and adore her, so I won’t get mushy here, but thanks so much to her, for everything.
Thank you so much to Nan Daley, who also had to run down so many questions I had, like which typewriter Elisabetta would use in 1930s Rome. I ended up buying the vintage typewriter, and you can see a video about its history on my website. Thank you to Katie Rinda, who held down the fort so that I could go into writing hibernation.
Thank you and all my love to my friends and family, like my bestie Franca, who was unfailingly encouraging to me while I was writing this book and throughout my entire life. God bless girlfriends.
All of my love goes to my amazing daughter, Francesca, who’s been my co-author for ten years and is now a novelist in her own right. She speaks Italian, has been to Italy with me, and helped with the novel, making really terrific editorial suggestions. More than that, she’s the best daughter and best friend that any mother could ever ask for. Eternal is dedicated to her because it wouldn’t have happened without her, as the best encouragement for any of us mothers is the bravery of our daughters. Thank you, and I love you very much, Francesca.
I owe my ultimate acknowledgment to the memory of the Italian Jewish victims of the Holocaust and to their families. I hope I have honored them and their story, because that matters the most to me. Nowadays there is a plaque and a small museum in the Ghetto to honor them, which you may want to visit if you go to Rome. And throughout the Ghetto, you will see brass memorial bricks called Stolpersteine, which have been installed by artist Gunter Demnig in front of the homes of those who were murdered.
So for the victims and their families, I offer this moment of silence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times-bestselling author of thirty-two novels. She has 30 million copies of her books in print in the United States and has been published in thirty-five countries. Scottoline also writes a weekly column with her daughter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, "Justice in Fiction" at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater. She lives in the Philadelphia area.