To my children. Carolyn Heilbrun spoke of mothers, our children, and the joy of “allowing ourselves, from time to time, to think of them as friends.” My relationship to you individually and as a group is, perhaps, the greatest gift of my life.
To my first daughter, Rachel, who always said what she thought while growing up and has not allowed anything or anyone to stop her in that. It may be because in her truth-telling she is thoughtful, compassionate, and direct. She provided insights and perspectives during our conversations about the book that were invaluable. To my “middle,” Sharon, whose own personal system for the documentation of dates, events, and specifics as to what transpired were essential to an accurate timeline. She was instrumental in validating or clarifying who was there and what was said. She also formatted the book for final submission to my editor, saving many sets of eyes. And, finally, to Jane, my youngest, who always listens, offers sage responses, suggests, and encourages—and unabashedly asks authors at the book readings she attends to sign their books and pass along their advice. I’ve received notes tucked inside those books with the words “just do it,” “be brave,” and “be honest.” I have tried to be.
To my cousin John-Michael and his partner, Ray, who open their home as a way station every time I travel north for the book. They introduced me to burrata, Portuguese wines, Lantana trees, and their precious pup, Baci, who always seems happy to see me and sorry to see me leave.
I am so grateful to have many friends, all of whom have been there for me while I wrote Tea with Dad. To anyone not listed here, I’ll be sending handwritten notes once this is over to those I could not mention but thought about.
My dear friend Debora Treu, whom I have known since Georgetown University, who read early chapters of the book and listened as I struggled through what to write and what to leave out. Here’s to a return to Door County, Lucca, and Old Quebec City. I cannot wait until we can commence our explorations abroad again.
Thank you to alpha and beta readers Marian Hochberg, Sylvia Lacock, Rene Ebert, Virginia Parker, David Feldman, LouAnn Watkins Clark, Jerilyn Dufresne, Joanne Giulietti, Kiersten Aschauer, Maria Trimarchi, Erin Sullivan, Trish Barber, and Heather Perram Frank. I took everything you told me and tried to make the book better.
To Clare Grana, whose home is always open when I need a retreat and who lends me an office and all the office supplies and fancy equipment I need when I work there. She gives me the most comfortable guest room in the world, good food, wine, and her voice, saying, “Yes. I remember. I was there.”
And to Bonnie Rick who—no matter what she has been through—has always been present for me and has been in my life consistently and longer than any other friend I have ever known and loved. For all that friendship entails.
There would not be a book at all if it had not been for the experience created by Steve Eisner and the staff at the When Words Count Retreat—that cozy Vermont inn geared to writers that I was headed to on that ill-fated Amtrak train—as well as the women I met during my stays there.
I must mention the members of my happy hour and Pitch Week cohort: Beth Bruce Russell, Ellen Mulligan, Elise Von Holten, Jane VanVooren Rogers, and Sue Roulusonis. Thanks for the wines, the whines, and unfailing support you shared with me. When writing got difficult, I’d imagine you in that room with the fire, listening to me read.
To my newest writing friend, Barbara Newman, one of the most beautiful souls and loving human beings I have the gift of knowing. Thank you for our almost daily “How are you doing?” “Get back to it!” and “Let’s have tea.” I cannot wait to read your book when it’s done. The world is waiting for it.
And to all the professionals who have helped me through the process of pushing this book out into the world: Peg Moran, my first line editor, and Asha Hossain, for beautiful book cover concepts.
To Ken Sherman of Ken Sherman & Associates, for nailing my subtitle and the feel of the book cover, and for the urgency behind his advice to be courageous and tell the real story when I held back.
To my lovely writing coach during the time I pitched my book, author Judith Krummeck, for your guidance, support, and assurance.
To Ben Tanzer, novelist, essayist, podcaster, and principal at Heft Creative Strategies, who said, “You present all ‘Merchant and Ivory,’ but underneath it, there’s a mess. I want to read about that.” I tried. I’m so excited to work with you to bring this book out into the world.
Finally, to Green Writers Press: Dede Cummings, my publisher (and a wonderful poet), who opened the door to the perfect home for my first book—a home with a mission and a value system I cherish. To Sarah Ellis, not just for her wonderful copyedits, but for her comments as a reader of this book. To Ferne Johansson, who—during her search for errant punctuation, proper word usage, style consistencies, and all things that need fixing in a manuscript—discovered treasures of which I was not aware and showed me how to share them.
Last and especially, to my editor, Emma Irving, who understood what this book was about from the beginning, told me so, then trusted my instincts and gently, yet firmly, kept me on course. I owe you so much, and I am grateful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NANCIE LAIRD YOUNG lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where she writes when not competing with her father for who takes care of whom or “discussing” politics. As a military brat she traveled in Europe, the Far East, and across the United States with her family. She graduated from Georgetown University with concentrations in English Literature and Organizational Behavior and made her way through most of an MBA. She has written about the early days of the internet and worked at washingtonpost.com, LifetimeTV.com, and AOL/Time Warner.
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