In creating The Lost Girls of Paris, I needed to research and write the individual stories of three women across three different time frames and five countries. This was both the most rewarding and most difficult endeavor I have ever undertaken as a writer and it would not have been possible without my editor, Erika Imranyi. Working with Erika is a novel-writing master class every single day (usually by email at 5:00 a.m.) and I count her time, talent and patience among the great blessings of my life. Erika is the captain of my dream team at Park Row/Harlequin/HarperCollins, which after a decade just keeps getting better. I am especially indebted to my publicist, Emer Flounders, for his tireless work. Deepest thanks also to Craig, Loriana, Brent, Margaret, Dianne, Susan, Shara, Amy, Heather, Randy, Mary, Merjane and Natalie.
I am forever grateful to the true powerhouse of my publishing world, my agent, Susan Ginsburg. Susan, her assistant, Stacey, and their team at Writers House bring energy, foresight and zealous advocacy to my writing career every single day. Susan’s vision and faith have made my deepest dreams come true, and I don’t know where I would be without her.
Writing a book can be a lonely endeavor. I feel so fortunate to be part of a community that values and sustains books. This includes my local booksellers, Julie at Inkwood Books in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and Rita at BookTowne in Manasquan, New Jersey (representative of the many wonderful independent bookstores across the country), and the many librarians at the Cherry Hill and Camden County libraries. And the book world has been buoyed as never before by the internet and social media. I am profoundly grateful for my author pals, reader friends and generous book bloggers and reading websites. I fear if I start mentioning them by name, I will leave someone out. Special love to my sounding board, Andrea Katz at Great Thoughts.
I am also deeply appreciative for the entire community in which I live. After spending a decade all over the world, I feel so blessed to live a mile from where I grew up and to see people I’ve known my whole life on a daily basis. I am particularly thankful for my colleagues at Rutgers School of Law for their constant support, to the teachers, administrators and families at our elementary school, and to the folks at the JCC who come up and ask about my new book while I am half-naked in the locker room.
I have in the past said that it takes a village to write a book. With the passage of time, I have decided that it is more like an army. I am so thankful for my husband, Phillip, who shares the front lines with me; for my mom, Marsha, and brother, Jay, who are our active duty, and make our lives better every day; for my in-laws, Ann and Wayne, who are the precious ready reserve; and to my forever friends in the trenches, Steph and Joanne (thank goodness my memory is longer than yours!).
And finally to the three little muses who share me so begrudgingly with the writing world, perhaps not always understanding why they have to, but trusting me that it is for the best. Without them, none of this would be possible, or worthwhile.