It took me a long time to get here and I wouldn’t have made it without the help of a number of golden humans.
Thank you to my dedicated team of wise and graceful editors, Judith Clain, Francesca Main, and Amanda Brower, for trusting and nurturing me and this book with unwavering faith, uncanny sophistication, and a whole lot of love; I adore you all. Thank you to Nicole Dewey and Lucy Kim at Little, Brown and to Tracy Roe for making this novel what it is. And deep thanks to all the foreign publishers for championing this book and jumping on board so early.
Thank you to my meticulous agent, Jeff Kleinman, for believing in me way before I was ready, for molding me into a real writer, and for always pushing me harder and further than what seemed possible. Thank you to the other exceptional souls who represented this novel with gusto: Molly Jaffa, Lorella Belli, and Sylvie Rabineau.
Thank you to Brent Monahan, Jen Doktorski, and Jenn Northington for providing astute critiques of this book in its earliest stages. And thank you to those who encouraged my previous writing attempts: Mike Emmich, Matt Schuman, Jason Cupp, Kate Rockland, Michael Rockland, Jon McGarry, Melissa Niglio Gelade, Eileen DeNobile, Chris Maltese, Joey Arbagey, and Karen Haney.
Thank you to Arielle Eckstut, David Henry Sterry, Chris Goldberg, and the Huevos Rancheros Book Club. Thank you to Ed Paparo and Harris Katz for legal guidance as well as creative feedback.
I took many liberties with my portrayal of highly superior autobiographical memory, but Jill Price’s The Woman Who Can’t Forget and Marilu Henner’s Total Memory Makeover aided my understanding of how HSAM works in the real world. The Kid, by Dan Savage, and Mommy Man, by Jerry Mahoney, provided insight into what same-sex couples face when trying to become parents. For helping me add authenticity in other key areas, thank you to Amanda and Arianna Mondelli, Kara Franklin, Michelle Chapman, Olivia Gelade, Dan Coughlin, Ralph Hanan, Daniel Baker for “hibachi pancakes,” and Sydney Gelade for supplying Joan’s handwriting.
Thank you to all my loyal music listeners who were my first ever readers and who continue to remind me that I have a voice. And thank you to those I’ve made music with for helping me refine another type of storytelling.
Thank you to my family, who support anything and everything I do: Erica, Marie, Mike; the Emmichs, Bakers, Caterinas, and Gelades; Mel and Lois, for always treating me like your own; and especially Valentine and Joan, for never once questioning my unusual path.
Thank you to Harper and Lennon for existing and inspiring me every single long day. Extra thanks to H for tolerating my fictionalization of what was a harrowing day. And most of all, thank you to Jill, for her patience and intelligence and willingness to dream—you are the reason for me doing or being or having anything in this world.
About the Author
Dubbed a Renaissance man by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, singer-songwriter, and actor. He’s had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty as well as a memorable guest role as Tina Fey’s coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his wife and their two children. The Reminders is his first novel.