The Direction of the Wind: A Novel(94)

There are also so many friends who have supported me along the way, and I am a better person and writer for having each of them in my life. Bestselling author Jennifer Pastiloff has continued to improve my life by developing my writing through her retreats and workshops and being an unwavering support system. She has selflessly championed me and my books, and I am honored and grateful to call her a friend. Nicole Chambers has been a wonderful sounding board and cheerleader, and I’m a better writer and person with her in my life. Aashna Patel has forced me to do more with my self-promotion, and I’m lucky to have her as my one-woman production team! Srivitta Kengskool helped inspire and name Dao, and the book is better for it. Thanks to Paula Sloyer and Kim Mills for supporting this new career and for joining me in Paris during a pandemic to help me finish my research to flesh out the details of this book. And so many others have championed me and my writing and lifted me when I needed it, and I am immensely grateful: Penelope Preston, Cynthia Wood, Gabi Lozano, Jill Girling, Kirbee Miller, Elisha “Ishy” Seaton, Marion Karrer, Cheryl “Cece” Francis, Miriam “Mimi” Feldman, and Lina Iorgovan.

Some very busy authors have gone out of their way to help me, whether through providing blurbs or advice or helping to get my name and books out there, and I’d like to give a shout-out to Marjan Kamali, Barbara O’Neale, Saumya Dave, Suzanne Redfearn, Emily Giffin, Julie Buxbaum, Allison Winn Scotch, Lyn Liao Butler, Gian Sardar, Namrata Patel, and Yoojin Grace Wuertz. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all you have done for me.

A warm and heartfelt thanks to my readers. I am beyond grateful to those who have read my books, reviewed them, posted on social media, emailed me with your touching stories, and requested your local libraries to order my books. The publishing business is difficult, and without your support I’d just be a woman with very long Word documents saved on her laptop. Thank you for giving my stories a place in this world and in your hearts.

And none of these books would have been possible without the love and support of my family. As I get older, I realize how fortunate I am to have grown up in a stable, emotionally secure, loving family and try not to take that for granted. My parents always encouraged my love of reading as a child, and it is clear those frequent trips to the libraries made an impact. While my dad is not much of a reader, he is an unrelenting supporter of anything I want to achieve in life, and I never doubt that he is proud of me, so thank you, Dad, for always being my champion. Mom, I’m grateful that our relationship is nothing like those of the daughters and mothers I write about, and I know that my creativity and perseverance come from you. Thank you for always encouraging me to be passionate and independent while balancing my life with being practical. For Tejas, you’ve taken care of me since birth, and you are the person in this world who knows most of my life story . . . I hope we never forget who we are and where we came from.