In Wilderness

by Diane Thomas

  For Christopher. And for Bill, always.

  Acknowledgments

  I worked on this book, off and on, for thirty years and owe much to many:

  To my agent, Deborah Schneider, who found my manuscript in her slush pile and took it on with the fervor of a cause; and to the inimitable Kate Miciak, who championed the book at Random House and is that rare editor every writer dreams of, who seems to understand your manuscript even more deeply than you do yourself;

  To Susan Turner for her beautiful and sensitive visual interpretation of the story; to Priyanka Krishnan and Julia Maguire for seeing to it that the book’s course ran smoothly; and to Kara Cesare, Denise Cronin, Rachel Kind, Jennifer Hershey, Allyson Pearl, and Susanna Porter, all early Random House supporters of In Wilderness;

  To the many friends and fellow writers who offered critique and encouragement along the way, including Destiny Allison, Christena Bledsoe, Hannah Burling, Linda Clopton, Jessica Connor, Thomas H. Cook, Alexandra Diaz, Hillary Fields, James and Carole Garland, Nancy Lehrhaupt, Marilyn Staats, Jim Taylor, Donna Warner, Fred Willard, Patricia Williams, Justin Witt, Lisa Witter, and Joyce and Gene Wright;

  To early manuscript readers who offered encouragement and praise, including Susan Gardner, Devon Ross, Nina Harrison, Bill Fajman, and Melody Sumner-Carnahan;

  To my sister, Betsy Jones; my writer stepson, Chris Osher; and finally, bearing in mind that the point of greatest emphasis is always last, to my dear husband, Bill Osher, himself a writer, for his insightful comments, encouragement, praise, and steadfast devotion throughout all these years.

  I thank you all.

  About the Author

  DIANE THOMAS holds an MFA from Columbia University and is the author of the novel The Year the Music Changed. She worked as a reporter, film and theater critic, magazine writer, and editor in Atlanta, north Georgia, and the Florida panhandle. She and her husband now live in New Mexico.