City of Women

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are a number of people whose guidance, support, and rallying spirit were instrumental in bringing City of Women to fruition.

First, I want to offer thanks to my agent, Rebecca Gradinger of Fletcher and Company, who has labored ceaselessly on my behalf, and has the ability to routinely make the impossible possible. I can count on her encouragement when the work is on track, and, more importantly, her unflinching critical eye when it’s not. I also want to thank Christy Fletcher, who maintained her faith in my work for over ten years, and was willing to give me the break I needed when I finally had the material that could crack a long cycle of glowing rejections.

Then there’s my editor and publisher, Amy Einhorn. I could not have imagined a better fit or a more generous and supportive editor had I made her up myself. Fortunately, I didn’t have to. Amy is brilliantly meticulous in her work (she still does a complete line edit) and both my characters and I owe her a deep debt of gratitude. Thank you, Amy.

I also want to thank my copy editor, David Koral, for burnishing every syllable of every page; Liz Stein at Amy Einhorn Books for all her invaluable assistance; my writing consultant, Carol Epstein of the Vernon Street Writing Group, who acted as my sounding board throughout the drafts; my first writing teacher at USC, Shelly Lowenkopf, who set me upon this course of novel-writing; and my parents, Charles and Marcia Gillham, plus my sister, Lisa Curtiss Gillham, for providing me with a childhood home where artistic accomplishment was truly valued.

And, of course, I must thank my wife, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, who continues to be my touchstone in all things.