Winter Loon(102)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Sincere thanks and gratitude to these fine people who deserve so much more:

My agent, Mark Gottlieb, for his passionate support and for changing his Facebook cover to a loon. My editor, Hafizah Geter, who embraced a bit of bleakness and whose careful touches helped bring out poetry in the manuscript. To everyone at Amazon Publishing and Little A who believed in this book and helped launch it into the world.

Michael Olmert, who told me to read the New Yorker and believed I could be a writer long before I did. William Kittredge, who sat with me one afternoon years ago and taught me about authenticity. Becky Tuch, Ben Winters, and Daphne Kalotay, who guided me through the messy middle. Elinor Lipman, who thrilled me by loving my first page and encouraged me to not kill off everyone. Alexi Zentner and Gail Hochman, who gave me critical feedback that made the novel so much better. Ben Percy, who encouraged me to value sentiment over sentimentality. Michelle Hoover, who helped me take the whole thing apart and put it back together again and saw me through to The End.

Maine artist R. Keith Rendall, whose haunted painting of a diving loon became my muse. Sherry Newell at Midwest Dairy Association, who helped me with the lay of the farmland. Ron Thomas for writing a lovely essay about being a teenage boy doing farmwork in the Bitterroot Valley. Walter Piper, scientist with the Loon Project, for explaining how and why loons get iced in. Anton Treuer, who put me in touch with Sean Fahrlander, who then critiqued the manuscript. Sean gave me thorough and heartfelt advice as I incorporated traditional Ojibwe stories into this novel. I feel fortunate to have met and worked with Sean. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

My fellow Four Points writers—Michele Ferrari, Kathy Sherbrooke, and Jessie Manchester Lubitz—who always and truly listen, pull me up when despair is deep, and spark my creativity and joy for the process. Lissa Franz and Louise Miller—dear friends, dear writers—for sticking with me and this novel, pushing me when I didn’t want to budge, and sending love when I needed it most. The entire and awesome Novel Incubator family of die-hard cheerleaders, generous readers, and beautiful writers.

Dan Blask and the Massachusetts Cultural Council for hearing the loon and validating this writer. Solstice Literary Magazine for publishing an early excerpt and giving me hope. Eve Bridburg, Chris Castellani, and everyone at GrubStreet for creating space and opportunity, sharing wisdom, and championing expression. I started writing again thanks to Jumpstart, found a novel through continuing courses, and completed a working manuscript in the Incubator. Along the way, I have made so many Grubbie friends whom I sincerely cherish, too many to mention here. What an incredible place to call my writing home!

My Book Groupies—Ann Horwitz, Lynn Gallagher, Jen Rothenberg, Beth Girioni, Sarita Bhagwat, Sally Chvany, Eliza Jacob-Dolan, Sara Galantowiz, and Amy Hubbard—who read an early draft like it was a real book and had the good sense to hold back enough criticism so that I would keep writing. My dear friend Nancy Rhoads, who literally walked with me through this novel and inspired me by way of family taxidermy stories and a bird-killing cat named Elizabeth.

The FamSquad—my husband, Ben, and my children, Olivia and Miles, for putting up with lousy meals, lost weekends, and me crying about it, crying about it, crying about it. Thanks for your encouragement and support, for letting me read to you, for hugs and laughter. I and Love and You. Much. And thanks to Pippin for keeping my feet warm.

And finally, love and thanks to my long-gone dad, who I know would have been proud, and to my sweet mom, a great reader and book lover, who sure would have been tickled. Wish you’d both lived to see the day.