Letters from Skye

Acknowledgments

Though the first draft of Letters from Skye was written in secret, late at night after the rest of the family had fallen asleep, it would not be where it is today without the support and encouragement of many.

My sincere thanks to all of the readers who helped my novel soar, especially Bryn Greenwood and Christine Roberts. To Elaine Golden, for the last, perfect line. To Sue Laybourn and Louise Brennan, for giving my characters the right words. To Richard Bourgeois, for reads, cheers, and sea monsters. To Kate Langton, for unflinching faith. I did it. To the Nanobeans, for their irreverence, encouragement, and cheese scones. Since leaving Edinburgh, I’ve tried to recreate that circle of writerly energy, of support and nonsense and fellowship. I wish I could.

To Danielle Lewerenz, for being my sounding board, my cheerleader, my friend. You helped build Davey into a hero to fall in love with. To Rebecca Burrell, for being there. I’m still not sure how I wrote books before you.

To my agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan, for signing me with such confidence and sending my manuscript out into the world with such conviction. To my editor, Jennifer E. Smith, for seeing in my words the same story I’ve always seen and for helping me to make it the novel it needed to be. Many thanks to the whole team at Random House/Ballantine, especially the tireless subsidiary rights department.

To my parents and my sister, Becky, for never doubting me. I hope that I’ve made you proud. To Ellen and Owen, for their patience and their forgiveness when I forget to do the laundry. I love you. To Jim, for Scotland and everything else.

It still amazes me that Elspeth and Davey are just as real to other people as they are to me. Thank you to everyone who helped to bring them to life.