The Other Mrs.(106)

I now know what true happiness is. I experience it every day.

I step from a pair of sneakers and sink my bare feet into the sea, thinking of beach glass.

If time can turn something so undesired into something so loved, the same can happen to all of us. The same can happen to me.

It’s happening already.



AUTHOR’S NOTE


Mental illness affects over forty-six million Americans each year. It is an issue of critical importance to our society, and to me personally, as I have experienced the impacts that the disease can have on a family. In The Other Mrs., Sadie is a victim of cruel manipulation by those seeking to take advantage of her illness, and in the end, she is empowered to seize control and ultimately to seek the help she needs. It is my hope that we, as a society, will continue to bring awareness to this important issue and that in the future, we will place greater emphasis on ensuring that those in need have access to proper care and treatment. For more information about mental health or dissociative identity disorder, visit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Cleveland Clinic.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Thank you to my editor, Erika Imranyi, for helping steer me in the right direction, for your diligence and dedication to this book and your patience with me. Thank you to my agent, Rachael Dillon Fried, for offering insight and endless encouragement during the writing and revision process. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished here and look forward to many more books to come. Thank you to Loriana Sacilotto, Margaret Marbury, Natalie Hallak and so many others at HarperCollins for providing indispensable editorial feedback.

Thank you to the wonderful people at HarperCollins, Park Row Books and Sanford Greenburger Associates. I’m so grateful to be a part of such committed, hardworking teams. Thank you to my publicists, Emer Flounders and Kathleen Carter; to Sean Kapitain and crew for another fabulous cover design; to Jennifer Stimson for the copy edits; to sales and marketing; and to the proofreaders, booksellers, librarians, bloggers, bookstagrammers and everyone else who has a hand in getting my words out to readers. This wouldn’t be possible without you. And a huge thanks to my Hollywood dream team, Shari Smiley and Scott Schwimer, for your hard work and enthusiasm.

Thank you, as always, to my family for the emotional support; to my children for allowing me to terrify you while I plotted ideas aloud; and to those incredible people who willingly and eagerly dropped everything to read a draft of this novel and provide essential feedback: Karen Horton, Janelle Kolosh, Pete Kyrychenko, Marissa Lukas, Doug Nelson, Vicky Nelson, Donna Rehs, Kelly Reinhardt, Corey Worden and Nicki Worden. This book wouldn’t be what it is without your insight and eagle eyes.