I’d also like to thank our Friends & Fiction assistants, Rachel Jensen and Grace Walker; our book club leaders, Lisa Harrison and Brenda Gardner （and book club cofounder Michelle Marcus）; our production company, Audivita Studios; and our many wonderful community members, including Annissa Joy Armstrong. （There are so many more of you to thank, too! Where would I even begin?） We appreciate all of you so very deeply. You changed the whole course of 2020 for all of the “Fab Five,” and we hope that, in some small way, we’ve made a difference in your lives, too.
Of course, as always, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Abby Zidle, who has been my trusted editor and cherished friend since 2011 （happy tenth, Abby!）， and to Holly Root, the most wonderful and miraculous literary agent in the world. To Michelle Podberezniak （Gallery） and Kristin Dwyer （LEO PR）： I could not ask for two better, kinder publicists or friends. And to Kathie Bennett （Magic Time Literary Publicity）： I’m fairly certain you’ve cloned yourself, because I’m not sure how else you get so much done at once. You’re amazing! To Danielle Noe: Thanks a million for your friendship and marketing expertise. To all of you, thank you so much for being the dreamiest of dream teams; it’s an honor and privilege to work with you.
To my foreign rights agent, Heather Baror-Shapiro: You have changed my life in so many ways, and I’m endlessly grateful. To my film agent, Dana Spector: Thanks for all your guidance （and your over-the-weekend read of my script!） this year. I’m so lucky to work with both of you. This year also brought me two enormous, unexpected gifts in the form of Anna Gerb （one of the most generous, hardworking people I’ve ever met—you’re a true joy to work with） and Jonathan Baruch （with whom I bonded instantly）， both of whom I’m now so honored to call friends.
To Jen Bergstrom: Can you believe I’ve been a Gallery author for a decade now? I couldn’t be prouder to work with you. One of the best things that 2020 showed me was that at Gallery, I’m part of a family in ways I couldn’t have imagined before this year. Jen, you—as well as Abby, Michelle, Jen Long, and Eliza Hanson—had my back every step of the way when we hit a pandemic-related shipping issue, and I’ll never forget the love and dedication I felt from all of you. Thanks also to Sara Quaranta, Molly Gregory, Sally Marvin, Anabel Jimenez, Lisa Litwack, Chelsea McGuckin, Nancy Tonik, proofreader Susan Bishansky, Wendy Sheanin and the rest of the incredible Simon & Schuster sales team, and, of course, Jonathan Karp. And thanks as well to my awesome team at S&S Canada, including Catherine Whiteside, Gregory Tilney, Adria Iwasutiak, Shara Alexa, and Felicia Quon. I smile every time I see one of your names in my in-box!
Last year, in The Book of Lost Names, I wrote a bit in my acknowledgments about the magic of books, and how booksellers and librarians can change lives. I had no idea when I penned those words—before the pandemic began—just how important that sentiment would become. When the world shut down in early 2020, so many bookstores and libraries were impacted, often devastatingly so; but still, countless bighearted booksellers and librarians stuck with it and found new and inventive ways to connect with readers. You were lifelines for all of us over the past year; we needed books more than ever to anchor us to the world outside our doors. You continued to get books into our hands, to send us on adventures in our own imaginations, and to give us a reason to connect with one another over stories we love.
A special thank-you to some of my other dearest writing friends: Linda Gerber, Alyson No?l, Allison van Diepen, Emily Wing Smith, Wendy Toliver, Kristina McMorris, Fiona Davis, Lauren Elkin, and Jay Asher. I was also so privileged to get to know so many other author friends better this year, including Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, Stephanie Dray, Melanie Benjamin, Nguy?n Phan Qu? Mai, Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Rachel McMillan, Julia Kelly, Alison Hammer, Christina Lauren, Kelly Rimmer, Lauren Willig, David James Poissant, Larry Loftis, Genevieve Graham, Caroline Leavitt, and more. I think it’s extraordinary, in a business that could be so competitive, that so many authors are kind, generous, and eager to lift each other up. As Mary Kay Andrews so often says, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” I’m so very honored to be sailing these waters with all of you.
A huge shout-out to all the bloggers, bookstagrammers, librarians, booksellers, reviewers, hosts, podcasters, and overall magic-makers who do such a wonderful job of celebrating the community of authors and booklovers—especially Ron Block, Laura Taylor, Lauren Zimmerman, Cathy Graham, Serena Wyckoff, Linda Kass, Melissa Amster, Kristy Barrett, Robin Kall, Susan McBeth, Robin Hoklotubbe, Andrea Peskind Katz, and more.