The Matchmaker

Acknowledgments

Reagan Arthur: I wish there were words complex and fabulous enough to describe my gratitude that an intellect and a sensibility such as yours exists in this world. Thank you!

Michelle Aielli: To paraphrase Allison Pearson, I Don’t Know How You Do It. You are my publicist, my keeper, and my friend. Thank you!

Michael Carlisle and David Forrer: My favorite quote of 2013 was “Now that’s good agenting!” You are both indescribably dear to me. Thank you!

To PJ Martin, the actual director of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce, who is NOT Dabney Kimball Beech, THANK YOU for meeting with me and THANK YOU for keeping Nantucket the special and unique place it is for those of us who live here, and for those of us who visit.

To Chand Rohtagi, an actual oncologist in the Lehigh Valley (PA) and also the oncologist character in this novel: THANK YOU for the background on the symptoms and physical manifestations of pancreatic cancer. Yours is noble work.

To Sarah Cutler: You faced the three-ring circus that is the Cunningham family with a winning combination of excellent driving, careful lifeguarding, a sense of fun, and serenity and grace. Thank you!

In memoriam: Clarissa Porter. It was at Clarissa’s memorial service that I heard (and then later borrowed) the line, “She had a gift for love, the way one has an eye for color.” Clarissa did have a gift for love. The special quality of friendship she brought to my life I will always fondly remember, and always profoundly miss.

To my three children, Maxwell, Dawson, and Shelby: I have been accused of giving you everything you want, but in fact, the opposite is true. You have given me everything I want-you are strong, smart, independent, adventurous, and pure of heart. You are my sun, moon, and stars, and every word I write, I write for you. xo