The third miracle was meeting Sloan Harris, the kind of agent people dream of having in their corner. His guidance, direction, and belief in this effort changed everything. The fourth and final miracle was the opportunity to work with Emily Bestler. I still get chills when I see all the amazing writers she edits. I’m grateful for her wisdom and kindness.
Thanks to my mom and sister who read pages as I wrote them and made them better, and to Aimee Violette and her mom who did the same. Thank you to the friends and family who cheered me on and lifted me up: Joe and Natalie Comartin, who inspired the story of friendship in these pages, Mark and Annie McKinnon, Matt and Liz Clark, Steve and Angela Schmidt, Ken Mehlman, Matt and Mercy Schlapp, Geoff and Ann Morrell, Dana Bash and John King, Michael Glantz, Barbara Fedida, Terry and Marci Nelson, and Pat and Milt Wallace. Thanks to Katie Couric who was one of the first people to encourage me to make lemonade out of lemons. Thank you to Tina Brown for offering me my first job as a writer, and to my colleagues at The Daily Beast, Edward Felsenthal, Tom Watson, Bryan Curtis, and Andrew Kirk, for making sure I never fell down on the job. Thank you to Henley MacIntyre Old for keeping me honest, on time, and organized (a monumental undertaking).
Thank you to all the people who allowed me to witness history in the making. It was an unforgettable experience.
To Molly Rosenbaum, Michelle Humphrey, Kristyn Keene, and John DeLaney at ICM, thank you for your patience and support. To Paul Olsewski, Lisa Sciambra, and Mellony Torres at Atria, thank you for letting me be part of your team. To Jeanne Lee, Kate Cetrulo, and Rachel Bostic at Atria, thank you for sharing your talents with me. To Judith Curr and Carolyn Reidy, thank you for taking a chance on me.
Finally, thanks to Courtney, Ashley, Zack, and my parents, Ronnie and Clive Devenish, for always being there.
About the Author
Nicolle Wallace is a political commentator who appears regularly on news programs such as ABC’s Good Morning America, The Sean Hannity Show on Fox News, and Morning Joe on MSNBC. She is also a contributor to The Daily Beast.
Wallace, who served as communications chief for George W. Bush’s White House and reelection campaign, was credited with “injecting a tremendous amount of realism” into White House deliberations. According to the Washington Post, she served as “a voice for more openness with reporters” (Washington Post, June 28, 2006). The New York Times story announcing her presidential appointment carried the headline: “New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room” (January 10, 2005). Wallace was described by former colleagues as “very persuasive in the halls of the West Wing.”
Wallace also served as senior advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008. She appeared frequently on network and cable news programs as the campaign’s top spokesman and defender.
Wallace is a California native and graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in New York City and Connecticut with her husband, Mark, a former ambassador to the United Nations, and their vizsla, Lilly. This is her first novel.
We hope you enjoyed reading this Atria Books eBook.
* * *
Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Atria Books and Simon & Schuster.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Nicolle Wallace
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Atria Books hardcover edition October 2010
ATRIA BOOKS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Designed by Kyoko Watanabe
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wallace, Nicolle.
Eighteen acres : a novel / by Nicolle Wallace. — 1st Atria Books
hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. Women presidents—United States—Fiction. 2. United States—Politics and government—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3623.A4437E54 2010
813'.6—dc22 2010030072
ISBN 978-1-4391-9482-9
ISBN 978-1-4391-9496-6 (ebook)
Eighteen Acres Page 30
