A Place We Knew Well
Page 27
As a writer, I received some incredibly helpful responses from my intrepid group of readers; some have been with me since the first tentative draft of Trumpet, others newer to the process yet expert at spotting unintended holes beneath the polished surface of a final draft. Thanks so much to Monika and Kevin Stout; Julie Clark and her dad, Joe Bear; Sarah Browne; Chuck Gordon; and, of course, my brilliant book club ladies and friends: Anne Spindel, Barbara Goetz, Carol Parker, Diane Mandle, Gwenn Adams, Jan Brownell, Joan Thatcher, Karen Evans, Tricia Rowe, and dear Val Gilbert. It was their wonderful suggestion that the final chapter, originally written as an Author Afterword, be recast from an adult Charlotte’s point of view. Giant heartfelt thanks to Debra Douglass and Joanne Martinez, my two most dedicated readers, who made time to read, discuss, and often debate almost every version of this years-in-the-writing story.
Whenever I lost heart, my agent, Jill Marr, jumped in with excellent advice, sound opinions, and fine humor. Thanks, Jill, and Andrea Cavallaro, Elise Capron, Thao Le, the inimitable Sandy Dijkstra herself, and everyone at the “Best in the West” Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
My editor, Kate Miciak, has been terrific through three books now. Many, many thanks, Kate, for always challenging me to do better, and better still, and for never failing to cheer me on while I spent months “just five or six pages” away from being done. Big buckets of gratitude also to Julia Maguire for excellent editorial assistance; Kelly Chian and Angela McNally in production; and our esteemed Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief, and Associate Publisher Jennifer Hershey.
Paul, thank you for the inspiration of your long-ago after-school job at Charlie’s Chevron in San Rafael, and for the ties that bind us together, no matter what. Connor, your gifts with language, especially for the spot-on metaphor, delight me to no end. Thanks for undestanding that on all your adventures all over the world, my heart is a reluctant stowaway soothed only by a well-timed POL. Joanne, we’ve been best friends for thirty-five years, and always will be. Ultimately, this book belongs to Travis. The shattering loss of that bright spirit, dark humor, and booming belly laugh taught us all how thin, how fragile the line between normal and nightmare, and the painful, humbling lessons of How to Grieve a Dream. Firstborn darling of my heart, not a day goes by…
BY
SUSAN CAROL MCCARTHY
A Place We Knew Well
True Fires
Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUSAN CAROL MCCARTHY is the award-winning author of two novels, Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands and True Fires, and the nonfiction Boomers 101: The Definitive Collection. Her debut novel has been widely adopted by U.S. schools and selected by libraries and universities for their One Book–One Community and Freshman Year Read programs. A native Floridian, she now lives in Carlsbad, California.
Susan Carol McCarthy is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or (212) 572-2013.
www.SusanCarolMcCarthy.com