Donut Days Read online

  “Promise me we’ll celebrate over coffee and a donut,” I said. “That seems like the right thing to do.”

  Jake nodded. “I promise.”

  “All right then.”

  I said a quick prayer, then ripped open the envelope.

  Acknowledgments

  Many, many people provided inspiration and encouragement as I worked on Donut Days. I am particularly indebted to Colleen Newvine Tebeau for being my head cheerleader while still providing insightful critiques, and Katie Vloet for her careful eye on the early, early drafts. J. Robert Lennon gets a rousing shout-out for his unforgettable class at the Bear River Writers’ Conference, which gave me a huge kick start, and for his e-mail a few years later with the words I’d always wanted to hear from a rock-star writer: “If it were up to me, I’d publish the hell out of this book.”

  Ellen Baker gets her own paragraph because she’s just that fabulous. I wouldn’t be a writer without her careful, bookstore-savvy insights on all my work. After I’d left Donut Days in the recycle bin, she was the one who encouraged me to fish it out. Her friendship and support have meant everything.

  Larry Kirshbaum at LJK Literary Management was kind to me when he didn’t have to be, for which I’m eternally grateful, as well as he hired the greatest agent of all time, my agent, Susanna Einstein. Susanna is a real-life Laura Roslin—strong, smart, and chock-full of integrity—and I’m so fortunate to have her on my side.

  Stacey Barney, my editor at Putnam, whipped this book into some serious shape, and I am enormously thankful for her careful edits. Her savvy insights and vocal encouragement through the process made all the difference.

  My family—both the Zielins and the Hesses—always have the words “go for it” on their lips, and I’m grateful for the unflagging support.

  Finally, thank you to my husband, Robert Hess, who revolutionized my literary life by encouraging me to write about the things I’d buried—and carried—for years without ever realizing they were interesting. Through him I found the courage to finally, really, honestly put pen to paper.