Hadley & Grace(96)
She smiles, fully covered in gloat.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear reader: I am often asked where the ideas for my stories come from. The answer is: never the same place. The idea for Hadley and Grace came from my enduring love for the movie Thelma and Louise. I wanted to write the same sort of exciting road-trip adventure that also had an underlying theme of self-discovery and empowerment.
As it turned out, I couldn’t actually tell the story as it was originally conceived by the talented Callie Khouri. Fortunately for us, times have changed, and sending a big “screw you” to all the misogynist men of the world for being oppressive twits who bully women while women sit back and take it no longer works. We’ve come a long way from gawking truck drivers, bar-swine rapists, and patronizing do-gooder cops as typical male stereotypes. So, while the plot is similar—two women on the run who become accidental outlaws—the story needed to change.
I knew I wanted children involved, and I knew I wanted Skipper to be a part of it. I had just finished reading the real-life Skipper Carrillo’s biography, Have a Home Run Day!, written by his sister, Alicia Rowe, and his clear-eyed, pure-hearted vision of the world inspired me. So, I started with Skipper and went from there.
Grace is a character near and dear to my heart. While she is not me, she is the closest I’ve come to writing a version of myself. I told my son the other day that if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to realize that the energy you put out is the energy you get back. If you are defensive and closed off, then life will be harder than it needs to be. There might be good reason for you to be that way, as there was for Grace, but as soon as she allowed Hadley, Mattie, and Skipper in, her world changed. During that fateful week, while Hadley became tougher, Grace actually became softer, her heart opening, an evolution that was both wonderful and terrifying to witness. I didn’t realize that was going to be her journey until after it happened, and it was a beautiful discovery, one that resonated with me personally.
I hope you have enjoyed this wild ride as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Suzanne
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Enormous thanks to the following people, without whom this book would not have been possible.
Skipper Carrillo. This story started with you, and I could not have created the character without the man. It is rare in this world to meet a person who shines so bright and with such special light it changes the way you view the world.
Alicia Rowe and the entire Rowe/Carrillo family, for allowing me to use the real-life Skipper’s indelible spirit and love for baseball as the inspiration for the fictional Skipper in this story. While the real Skipper inspired the character, I want to make it clear that this story is a work of fiction, and that the character’s circumstances and family are entirely a product of my imagination. Skipper Carrillo’s mother and father were loving, devoted parents and bear no resemblance to any of the characters in this story.
My family.
Kevan Lyon, my wonderful agent.
Alicia Clancy, my editor, for her invaluable insight and feedback.
The entire team at Lake Union, including Bill Siever, Laura Barrett, Riam Griswold, Ashley Vanicek, and Kathleen Lynch, for once again turning a humble manuscript into the beautiful finished work it has become.
Sally Eastwood and Lisa Hughes Anderson for reading the story when it was ugly.
Skipper Carrillo at our restaurant, Lumberyard, celebrating his eightieth birthday after taking an “Angels” photo in front of artist Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings, which are painted on the wall of our other restaurant, Slice Pizza and Beer. As legit an angel as there ever was.