Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

I am so grateful for all the innovative, industrious, and talented people at HarperCollins and Custom House. Special thanks to Liate Stehlik, Jennifer Hart, Eliza Rosenberry, Danielle Finnegan, Rachel Meyers, Elsie Lyons, Paula Szafranski, Kaitlin Severini, Gabriel Barillas, all the hardworking salespeople I have yet to meet, and Molly Gendell.

I have endless love for the following people who offered support, advice, friendship, wisdom, and their faces onscreen during COVID times as I worked on this book: Celia-Kim Allouche; Sally Beaton; Paula Bomer; Fran Brennan; Jane Delury; Larry Doyle; Lindsay, Bruce, and Emily Fleming; Liz Hazen; Lisa Hill; Holly Jones; Matt Klam; Deana Kolencikova; Dylan Landis; Marcia Lerner; Boo Lunt; Jim Magruder; Helen Makohon; Steve, Finn, and Phoebe Martel; Scott Price; the Rende Family; Danny Rosenblatt; Claire Stancer; the Treat-Laguens family; Tracy Walder; Tracy Wallace; Marion Winik; and all the generous people of La Napoule Art Foundation. Also, huge love to my goddaughters, Addie Fleming and Sydney Rende.

And endless love and affection to my hilarious family: Maddie Tavis, Ella Grossbach, Ilan Rountree, Sebastian Rodriguez, Becca Summers, Satchel and Shiloh Summers, Joshua Blau, Alex Suarez, Sonia Blau Siegel, Sheridan Blau, Cheryl Hogue Smith, and Bonnie Blau and her extraordinarily smelly cat, Mookie.

If I could sing, I’d sing to Gail Hochman, the best agent in the business.

If I could write a song, I’d write it about Kate Nintzel, whose genius glows throughout these pages.