The Last House on the Street(108)

Acknowledgments



In addition to Maria Gitin, whose firsthand experience of SCOPE was invaluable to me, I’d like to thank Cynthia Lewis at the King Center in Atlanta; my research assistant, Kathy Williamson; my ever-supportive significant other, John Pagliuca; and my phenomenal agent and friend, Susan Ginsburg from Writers House. I’m also grateful for everyone else at Writers House for their hard work and enthusiasm, especially Catherine Bradshaw and Peggy Boulos Smith.

I’m delighted to now be working with my enthusiastic United Kingdom editor at Headline Books, Sherise Hobbs, as well as with Headline’s marketing director, Jo Liddiard, and all the behind-the-scenes Headline people who have embraced The Last House on the Street with such dedication.

As usual, my U.S. editor Jen Enderlin zeroed in on the heart of my story and helped me bring it to life. Jen both challenges and inspires me. She is now the president of St. Martin’s Press and it’s a huge honor to be able to continue working with such an amazing editor.

Thank you to my publicist, Katie Bassel, who would never let a little thing like a pandemic get in the way of her already challenging job. I’m grateful to all the other supportive folks at St. Martin’s—Sally Richardson, Erica Martirano, Brant Janeway, Sallie Lotz, Jeffery Dodes, Lisa Senz, Erik Platt, Tom Thompson, and everyone in the sales department who does so much to get my books into the hands of my readers.

Special thanks go to sensitivity reader Grace Wynter, for her insight and encouragement. As a white author writing about racial issues in the South, I was very grateful to have Grace’s input.

Finally, I’m grateful to the civil rights workers of the past and the present who continue the fight for voting equality in America.