So thank you—to Amy Berkower and Genevieve Gagne-Hawes of Writers House, and my editor at Sasquatch, Hannah Elnan, who gave this book the gift of time to evolve and the perfect home once it did. To Jennie Shortridge, who told me to think about writing essays. To Nina Meierding, who read every draft, and my mother, who read all but the last one. And most of all to Ben, who encouraged me to write this book even when our memories differed—you are my bones.
A writer with a community has been given a gift beyond measure. The insights of Holly Smith, Bill Meierding, Michael Bauermeister, and Antoinette Mongelli always got me thinking. The women of my writing groups—Marjorie Osterhout, Thea Cooper, Randy Sue Coburn, Tara Austen Weaver, and Jennie Shortridge—have been the living definition of support. The Seattle7Writers and PT5 are my village. Carol Cassella gave me mountains and wildflowers when a deadline was fast approaching. Hedgebrook has become the North Star of my writing practice. And this book would not have happened at all if it had not been for a month spent in a residency with Aspen Words—thank you forever to Adrienne Brodeur, Marie Chan, Jamie Kravitz, and Elizabeth Nix, and a shout-out to Barbara Reese, who showed me a truth window, and Harry Teague, who set my mind spinning. And to my wonderful hosts, Isa and Daniel Shaw, who gave me a valley of golden trees and four weeks of peace and friendship—this one’s for you.
As you may have noticed, the ideas in this book come from a wide range of sources, and I owe a debt of gratitude to all the authors in the bibliography. But books have to find their way to you, and I owe an equally large debt to the independent booksellers who so often put just the right book into my hands. Moonraker Books on Whidbey Island started it all by introducing me to Christopher Alexander. Deon Stonehouse of Sunriver Books in Oregon handed me The Meaning of Home. Imprint Books in Port Townsend was an endless source of shed inspiration. In Seattle, I discovered Atlas Obscura at Queen Anne Books, and visiting the architecture section at Elliott Bay Books was like opening a treasure chest, every time. And then there’s Peter Miller Books, an entire bookstore dedicated to architecture and design—pretty much heaven for a house lover.
Long before there was a book, there was a house. I’ve been changing the names of people all along, so, alas, I cannot write the real ones here—but this book is a raised glass to all who helped bring our home back to life. Our real estate agent, who showed tenacity and creativity, even if our house scared her to death. Our architect, who continues to open my mind in so many directions. Our inspector, who didn’t say we were crazy. Our three different crews, who took away the bad and built the good, giving us a house, a writing studio, a sunroom. You were, to a person, patient and good-humored and remarkably skilled, and every time a door clicks perfectly into place, we smile and think of you.
But before any of this, there were my children. It is a strange thing to have a mother who falls in love with a house. So thank you, my sweethearts. For sledgehammering and hauling trash, for listening to all the stories, and supporting me in telling mine. But most of all, for going along for the ride. I love you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERICA BAUERMEISTER is the bestselling author of four novels: The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, The Lost Art of Mixing, and The Scent Keeper. Before she turned to fiction, she was the coauthor of two readers’ guides: 500 Great Books by Women and Let’s Hear It For the Girls. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington, with her husband and 238 deer.
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