Emerald Isle (32 page)

I’d like to warmly thank Terry Goodman for bringing me into this publishing family. Thanks to Danielle Marshall, marketing guru extraordinaire, and Jacque Ben-Zekry, who is so good at her job, she makes me feel as if she is my personal assistant. Thanks also to my tireless beta readers who read my work before the spit shine: George Annino, Leslie Gay, and Selena Jones. Your suggestions make a better storyteller out of me. Huge thanks as well to Alison Dasho for her editorial mastery and brainstorming sessions. Also to Annie Morgan, whose copy edit is just the right touch for this author.

This book was molded by the gracious people of the Emerald Isle who made my research trip even more enjoyable than it already was, especially Fiona, who was so much like Fiona Geraghty in beauty and charm (although not age) that I couldn’t believe it. And to Carlos, the Italian import with the Irish brogue who offered us a very welcome ride across the country, and to John, who picked up a pair of rain-soaked travelers numerous times so that
we could drink in every drop of County Kildare, home of Brighid Geraghty and the Great Geraghty Clan. You made a memorable trip magical.

Finally, endless thanks to my own clan. My grandmother, who left me a sign that she was with me in Ireland in the form of a penny. And my mother, who showed me long ago that strength often comes in small packages.

Photo by George Annino, 2011

Barbra Annino is a native of Chicago, a book junkie, and a Springsteen addict. She’s worked as a bartender and humor columnist, and currently lives in picturesque Galena, Illinois, where she ran a bed-and-breakfast for five years. She now writes fiction full-time—when she’s not walking her three Great Danes.