While I’m not much of a believer in the supernatural, Tess’s encounters with Reverend Sam are based on a similar experience I had personally, an experience I’ve never been able to satisfactorily explain to myself or anyone else. In a way, an explanation isn’t necessary. What matters is what I took away from that experience—and what Tess takes away from hers. Reverend Reed Brown, formerly of the Arlington Metaphysical Chapel in Arlington, Virginia, has no idea he helped in the writing of this novel, but he did. Although I met with him only briefly years ago, his influence on me remains strong and positive and I’m grateful for that connection.
Thank you to my amazing research assistant, Kathy Williamson, for her ability to track down whatever information I need, even when the task seems impossible. She can find the most obscure resources for me in a heartbeat. She’s also a Jill-of-all-trades as she updates my website, sends out my newsletter and takes care of sundry other business-related tasks so I’m free to write.
To all the folks at St. Martin’s Press, a big thank you for everything you do. Special thanks to my editor, Jen Enderlin. It’s rewarding, exciting and sometimes scary working with Jen, because I can never predict her reaction to the book I turn in. She sees things in my work that I’m too close to see, and her perspective and suggestions are always right on.
My publicist at St. Martin’s, Katie Bassel, deserves her own shout out. Katie not only sets up my events and keeps everything running smoothly, she does so with a calm professionalism I hugely admire.
I’m also grateful to the rest of the folks at St. Martin’s who get my books into the hands of my readers. Thank you Sally Richardson, Brant Janeway, Erica Martirano, Jeff Dodes, Lisa Senz, Kim Ludlam, Malati Chavali, Jonathan Hollingsworth, Anne Marie Tallberg, Tracey Guest, Olga Grlic, Lisa Davis, and all those hard workers in the Broadway and Fifth Avenue sales department.
I was so happy to finally meet the folks at my UK publisher Pan MacMillan this past year so I could thank all of them in person. I’m especially grateful to my charming UK editor, Wayne Brooks; my UK agent, Angharad Kowal; and Pan Macmillan publicist, Francesca Pearce, who saw to it that I had the chance to meet with many of my readers while I was in London. What a treat that was!
Thank you to my agent, Susan Ginsburg, who simply rocks as an agent, friend, and human being. It was my lucky day when she took me on as a client. Thanks, too, to everyone else at Writers House who works hard to get my books published in various formats around the world.
As always, I’m grateful to my writing friends, the Weymouth 7. I don’t think I could complete a book without the brainstorming lunches, emails, and retreats I share with these women. Thank you Mary Kay Andrews, Margaret Maron, Katy Munger, Sarah Shaber, Alexandra Sokoloff, and Brenda Witchger. I look forward to many more years of our friendship.
My significant other, John Pagliuca, has been his usual supportive self during the writing of The Stolen Marriage and as always was my first reader. He’s insightful, knowledgeable, and sharp as a tack, and I’m always grateful for his input, even when it means serious rewriting. John is also an awesome dog-walker, grocery shopper, vacuum operator, and all-around helpmate. I’m lucky to have him.
For those who would like to read more about Hickory’s Emergency Infantile Paralysis Hospital, here are some of the research materials I used:
Eller, Richard | The Miracle of Hickory | TEDxHickory
TEDxTalks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1UzRVOLsmo
Elliott, Marvin L. “Miracle of Hickory: Mass Media and the ‘Miracle’.” (2007), North Dakota State University.
Hickory Daily Record: Various articles in the 1944 editions.
Hostetter, Joyce Moyer. Blue. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, Inc., 2006.
Hughes, C. “The Miracle of Hickory.” Coronet, February, 1945, pp. 3–7.
“Infantile paralysis: Child victims fill beds of an emergency hospital as epidemic hits rural counties of North Carolina.” Life, July 31, 1944, pp. 25–28.
Sink, Alice E. The Grit Behind the Miracle. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998.