Considering this is the holiday season, there are many Christmas elves I must thank whose gifts not only made this book possible but also make my life immeasurably better.
To my agent, Wendy Sherman: thank you for being my advocate, guide, fighter and friend since 2005. We’ve been in the trenches together, and we’ve sipped champagne. There is not a book I’ve written that would have made it into the world without you. I can never thank you enough.
To Callie Deitrick, Wendy’s incredible assistant, who keeps my multiple book contracts on track and is also a wonderfully keen reader.
To Jenny Meyer, my foreign-rights agent, who has overseen my books being translated into twenty-one languages now. (Twenty-one! My twenty-first is a Hebrew translation in Israel!) You have brought my books to the attention of readers around the world, and there is no greater gift.
To Susan Swinwood, my editor, who champions my work and makes each and every book infinitely better with her deeply insightful edits—from a micro and macro level. Her deep affection for the characters and even deeper respect and appreciation for what I wish to accomplish and relay to readers with every novel cannot be thanked enough.
To the entire Graydon House team: Heather Connor, for the difficult and too-often thankless job of publicizing my work; Randy Chan is a marketing genius (when you see my books at your favorite bookseller, say thanks to Randy); Pam Osti, you are tireless and creative; and Lindsey Reeder is a prime reason my social media is growing by leaps and bounds. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: working with this team is the best publishing experience of my career.
To all of the indie bookstores across America, THANK YOU for your support and love! You are the hearts, souls and minds of our communities, and you’re going to rock this next year with our collective support. (A special thank-you to all the bookstores in Michigan who are not only my biggest cheerleaders but also my dearest friends: Saturn, McLean & Eakin, Forever, Schuler, Brilliant, Horizon, Bay Books, Readers World, and on and on and on…)
And heartfelt thanks to all the libraries across America who buy my books in droves for their readers every single time. Libraries changed my life. And though they’ve undergone a huge sea change the last few years (and need our support more than ever), the foundation remains the same: books change lives. And they always will.
Personal thanks to the following people, whose love and support literally kept me sane and kept my head above water this past year. You have been my buoys in the publishing ocean. Ron Block from the Cuyahoga County Public Library; all the Friends & Fiction authors (Kristy Woodson Harvey, Kristin Harmel, Mary Kay Andrews, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe); Brenda Novak; Nancy Thayer; Susan Mallery; Danielle Noe; Meg Walker and Gretchen Koss; the amazing bookstagrammers; and SO many more.
To my readers: this past year has been extraordinarily difficult and extraordinarily beautiful. You were my silver lining in a dark time. I feel as if I’ve gotten to know you on a more personal and meaningful level than ever before. I write the types of books I do because of you. “You keep writing, and we’ll keep reading!” you email me EVERY SINGLE DAY. I didn’t know if the types of books I wanted to write would resonate—books that are inspired by my grandma’s heirlooms, life, love and lessons; books meant as a tribute to family and our elders; books that inspire hope; books that are meant to remind readers of what’s most important in life; books dedicated to “the simple things”; and books whose characters are inspired by good, kind, hardworking women like my mom and grandmothers, women too often overlooked in literature and life. I’m constantly happy and humbled they have touched you so deeply. You give me as much hope as I pray I give you. THANK YOU! I cannot wait to get back out on tour to hug each and every one of you. Get ready! I ain’t lettin’ go, either!
Finally, to Gary, the King of Christmas, the one who restored my and my family’s faith not only in the holidays but also in life itself. The one who taught us there could be light again after all the darkness. If you watch Wine & Words with Wade every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Viola Shipman Facebook page, you know his talent, from the set decorations to dressing up as Santa, a leprechaun or the Easter bunny. You can also see that he is one of the world’s brightest lights, and he shines through me and illuminates the best in my soul and the best in others.
Here’s wishing you a beautiful, blessed holiday season with family and friends! I know this year is going to be extra special now that we can all be together again. As my grandma Shipman always said, “Life is as short as one blink of God’s eye, but we too often forget in that blink what matters most: each other.” We have been reminded of that again, and I know this will be a magical Christmas and winter for us all.