The Takedown(99)

To my inner circle of women who have provided shoulders, ears, and sanity along this entire journey. Christine, Anne, Julie, and Cyr, I am eternally indebted to you. Thank you to Rick Purcell for his smashing legal advice. Also a huge arigato, y’all!, to our vast Short Grain crew for making the two years it took this book to pub the most thrilling of my life. And to my broader Buffalo, Brooklyn, and Charleston contingent of support, there are too many names to list, but I hope you all know who you are, because I do and I couldn’t have done this without (venting to) you. This book would not have any soul without all of you.

I can’t say it often or well enough, but thank you to my mom, for her constant loving encouragement and for infusing me with her passion for the written word. (And for being muy amable about all my last minute “will you read this??” requests.) I wouldn’t be me without you. Also many thanks to my dad for all those preorders and my stepdad for catching the overflow of stress I send Mom’s way. To my sister Amanda for reading an early draft and saying “We’re gonna be rich!” And to my sister Annie for being my favorite sounding board and most enthusiastic promoter. And lastly, to my husband and partner in shenanigans, Shuai. You, sir, make life fun, even when it isn’t. Thank you for loving me even at my most teary and for unknowingly schooling me in how to write an adorable good-guy character. This book would not have any heart without you.