ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It takes courage to say yes when a friend or family member asks you to read her first book—especially when you know she’s going to ask you all sorts of questions, including the dreaded “Did you like it?” I want to thank my brave early readers, Libby Hudson Lydecker, Selah Victor, Aimee Simtob, Miranda Lewin, Maria Schneider, Wanda Frodis, Lena Rotmensz, Irene Ornovitz, Avital Ornovitz, and Jenny Smith for diving in, and Debra Lewin for being the very first （and encouraging me to keep sharing it）。 I am indebted to Margaret Howell for daring to scrutinize my verb tenses, and Jonathan Groff for teaching me a new word that I get to pretend I knew all along. Karen Glass and Andy Cohen made introductions that changed my personal narrative, and I owe them each a parade. Victoria Sainsbury-Carter lent her special brand of magic to lure me into the unknown, and Alethea Black was the ever-reliable compass that helped me find my way through. Thank you, Dr. Martin Bennett, for telling me what a doctor actually would say, and literary genius David Walter, for always pushing me to say it better. To all my friends and supporters who offered a heartfelt “You go, girl,” thank you, it helped more than you know. This book is dedicated to my mother, Maila Walter, who let me be a moody artist long after it was hormonally appropriate, and my father, Edward Walter, who, by his example, taught me the value of never giving up.
I hit the jackpot with Lake Union’s Christopher Werner, whose warmth and intelligence kept my creative fire lit, and editor extraordinaire Tiffany Yates Martin, who asked the best questions at every turn. This book would not have taken flight without the skillful piloting of my brilliant agent, Laura Dail, who finds the most sublime destinations and leads me toward them with dexterity and joy. Thank you to all the talented professionals at the Laura Dail Agency and Lake Union Publishing, I am humbled and honored to work alongside you.
Through it all I had the best cheerleaders in my daughters, Sophie and Taya, and husband, Uri, who endured at least a thousand “What would she do nexts?” （and often had the best ideas!）。 I am so grateful for their loving support and for allowing me to indulge this incredibly rewarding but terribly impractical calling of being a writer. Thank you for putting up with me and keeping me steady, I love you and I’m sorry but I am going to do it again.