At WME, thank you to the petite dynamo and my longtime champion Suzanne Gluck, thank you to the beloved Nancy Josephson, Jill Gillett, Andrea Blatt, Nina Iandolo, Ellen Sushko, Wesley Patt, Caitlin Mahony, Oma Naraine, Tracy Fisher, Sam Birmingham, and Alicia Everett.
At Sugar23, I am thrilled to work with the high-octane team of Katrina Escudero, Sukee Chew, Michael Sugar, Esmé Brachmann, and Viola Yuan. At Sunshine Sachs, the great Brooke Blumberg drives the bus. My gratitude to the producers, Laurie Pozmantier, Larry Sanitsky, and Katherine Drew. Richard Thompson of Breechen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson, LLP, is the best attorney in the business.
My evermore thanks and love to Bill Persky, mentor, dad, friend, and pal, whose creative genius on the page and stage has made all of our lives richer, better, and more fun.
Gail Berman is the sister I call to solve problems and point me in the right direction. My gratitude for your wisdom and loving heart.
Michael Patrick King, whether it’s the morning call or the panic at midnight, you are there; I thank you for all you are and all you do.
The Glory of Everything Company is led by Alexa Casavecchia, smart, tireless, and focused. Thank you to Alexa and our team: Emily Metcalfe and Maxwell Seiler, who bring you Adriana Ink, along with Andrea Rillo, the brilliant artist behind our social media campaigns. Our interns are the future stars of tomorrow. Thank you: Jacob Cerdena, Jaden Daher, Emma Freund, Ashley Futterman, Paige Michels, Steffi Napoli, Annika Salamone, Maddie Smith, and Lauren Taglienti.
Cynthia Olson conducted meticulous research and worked tirelessly to bring veracity and historical context to the events in the novel. In Italy, thank you to my family, Andrea Spolti, Paolo Grassi, and Andrea Pizio. My great uncle and journalist, the late Monsignor Don Andrea Spada, was the longtime editor of the L’Eco di Bergamo. The great newspaper and its superb articles informed the contemporary arc of this story.
I took a class at Christie’s Auction House in New York about the jewels of the Maharajas & Mughals in India at the invitation of Kristin Dornig, which provided the core knowledge that became the bedrock of this novel. The Montaquila family, longtime jewelers in Connecticut, gave me insight into the mechanics of jewelry design. Thank you, Madeline.
If you are interested in the expulsion of men and boys of Italian descent in Scotland during World War II, I recommend Peter Gillman and Leni Gillman’s ‘Collar the Lot!’ How Britain Interned and Expelled its Wartime Refugees for further reading. Inside Europe and Inside Latin America by John Gunther provided insight into the political, economic, and moral state of the countries of Europe before and during World War II.
Among the reading for broader historical context to the events in this novel, I read books by H. G. Wells, Erik Larson, Philip Paris, Donatella Tombaccini, and Oswald Mosley. Benito Mussolini’s Essays on Fascism is a primer on the diabolical cunning of dictators. For truth and beauty, please consider reading Helen Barolini’s Crossing the Alps, Kinta Beevor’s A Tuscan Childhood, Franco Zeffirelli’s autobiography Zeffirelli, and Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Tuscany.
We owe a great debt to our nurses, without whom there would be no healing. I am humbled to honor their work and the stories they shared with me on these pages: Thank you to the good nurses of Saint Vincent’s Hospital emeritus, New York City, and the Poor Servants of the Mother of God at St. Mary’s Hospital, Norton, Virginia. Catherine Shaughnessy Brennan provided insight into geriatric nursing. My sister-in-law Brandy Trigiani, an oncology nurse, inspired the relationships of the young nurses in Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Marseille. The late Irene Halmi served as a nurse in World War II, her stories of that time were treasures. Ralph Stampone, honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1946, provided knowledge into medical procedures during the war.
The story of the Italian immigrant in Scotland could not have been told without the story of Nina Passarelli, who boarded at the Notre Dame de Namur Convent School at Dumbarton during the war. Nina’s daughter Anna shared the stories passed down to her in detail. Sadly, Nina passed away as I was writing the novel. I am grateful to the entire Casavecchia/Passarelli bella famiglia for sharing Nina’s life with me. Thank you, Anna, Joe, Erica, and Joseph Casavecchia, and Joseph Casavecchia Sr.
The cast and crew of Then Came You 2020 made me fall in love with Scotland and her people. The majesty of the countryside reminded me of my Appalachian home. Thank you, Kathie Lee Gifford, for trusting me to direct your movie/baby. Andy Harris, our set designer, showed me the timeless beauty of his country, which Reynaldo Villalobos, the great cinematographer, captured expertly. Megan and Craig Ferguson, my favorite castle keepers, made sure Scotland would remain in my soul long after leaving it.