As for how so many of my characters came to inhabit one novel, you may thank/blame my mother. I told her I’d come up with a great way to bring back J. T. Dillon, as I knew readers missed him. She nodded politely, then mentioned that she really wanted to see Griffin from The Survivors Club. And the more she thought about it, it’d been a long time since she’d gotten to read about Quincy or Kimberly. What about them?
Once I got over gnashing my teeth, it occurred to me that my accountant mother had a very good idea. So this book is for you, Mom. Because you always cared and you always inspired, even if having a novelist daughter continues to bemuse you. I love you.
Speaking of love, this book is also dedicated to the real Tulip. Adopted by her devoted family from an animal shelter sixteen years ago, Tulip has lived a grand life as one of the smartest, gentlest dogs around. Her family won the honor of including Tulip in this novel at a charity auction for the Animal Rescue League of NH-North. They said that they understood their time with Tulip was reaching an end, and they wanted to capture her unbelievable spirit, as well as immortalize one of the best dogs they’d ever known. So here’s to Tulip, who continues to inspire.
As for other real-life fictional characters…Congratulations to Tom Mackereth and Randi Menke for winning the annual Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy/Mate Sweepstakes at LisaGardner.com. As winners they got to nominate the person of their choice to die and/or be maimed in my next novel. They both nominated themselves. Hope you enjoy the fictional ride. As for the rest of you, the sweepstakes is up and running once more. Swing by LisaGardner.com, and who knows, maybe next year, this can be you!
Also, congratulations to Stan Miller, who won the honor at another charity auction and to Frances Beals, whose daughter Kim graciously purchased the honor for her at a benefit for the Rozzie May Animal Alliance.
As always, my love and gratitude to my family: the husband who’s grown accustomed to a wife who stares off into space for long periods of time, and the daughter who every single day asks about the book, demanding a full accounting of what where when why and who, and then, if I’m really lucky, nods her approval. Phew!
Finally, my deepest appreciation to not one, but two new editors extraordinaire: Ben Sevier of Dutton in the United States and Vicki Mellor of Headline in the UK. Here is to the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
About the Author
LISA GARDNER is the New York Times best-selling author of fourteen novels. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Catch Me, Love You More, Live to Tell, The Neighbor, Hide, and Alone. Her FBI profiler novels include Say Goodbye, Gone, The Killing Hour, The Next Accident, and The Third Victim. She lives with her family in New England, where she is at work on her next novel.