Bethany Hagen: Landry Park

Snowflakes appeared out of clouds so thin and transparent they could barely be seen, and David used his thumb to wipe them from my face. With the skyline glassy and lit up behind us, and the stars glittering above us, David urged the horses forward, and we rode south together.

And even though I knew it would be beautiful, covered in snow and ice, bathed in starlight, tall and majestic in the face of upheaval and heartbreak, I didn’t look back as we drove away from Landry Park.

First of all, I want to thank my incomparable agent Mollie Glick for taking a chance on my book when it still needed lots of love. Your sharp eye and keen business sense have been my life raft through this entire process. Thank you.

A huge thank you to Nancy Conescu, who is kind and wise like Glinda the Good Witch. You knew this book better than I did—you knew what it needed and what it didn’t need any longer. Thank you for your patience and insight.

To the entire Penguin team, especially Stacey Friedberg and Courtney Allison. You are the brilliant people who do brilliant things. To Kristin Smith, for making the most mouthwateringly gorgeous cover imaginable. And to Kathleen Hamblin, another ray of brilliance. You guys deserve all the chocolate in the world.

To Gennifer Albin for the hard words and practical advice and 2:00 A.M. pancakes; to Robyn Lucas for the cheerleading and marketing help and plot fixes; to Laura Rahimi Barnes for all the honest encouragement and the late night G-Chats, and most of all, for being my book fairy. To the WrAHMs: there has never been a wilder, funnier, smarter group of lady writers out there, and I am so honored to be among your number. To Lucy Stark, Melanie Harlow, and Tamara Mataya, this table flip is for you.

To Ashley, for all the free babysitting and encouragement and for hiding from imaginary bears with me when we were on a mountain in Albuquerque. To Denise, for the beautiful author photo. To the Bu, for reading my baby novels in high school and college. To Alyssa, Jill, and Amanda, who keep me well adjusted, and to all of my colleagues at the Johnson County Library—you make being a librarian fun.

To my grandparents: John, Kay, Ed, and Sandra—your nurturing presence has allowed me to thrive. To Kathie and Milt Taylor, for constant babysitting and support; to Dana Hagen and Eddy Bisceglia, for all the love. To Renee Bisceglia, who took me to the Central Resource Library as a girl and let me check out more books than I could carry. To Doug Hagen, who took the time to read to me every night and who told me to make the Hagen name proud.

To Noah and Teagan, who stayed up late to give me hugs and kisses after I came home from “writing stories.” And most of all to Josh, who never let me quit, who always believed in me, and who brought me snacks and beer and Doctor Who when it was needed. I wouldn’t be writing this if it weren’t for you.