Empire Girls (22 page)

We know how difficult this was for you, Nell, but we’re so grateful that you supported us. Hosted our weddings, finally began to forgive yourself, our father and even Asher for not living up to your expectations.

Know that we will take good care of him, and that we are all missing you. We are a family, and that, dear Nell, is what families do. We forgive, we love, we long for each other, and at the end of the day, if needed, we stand up for each other, straight and tall as the tallest skyscraper, to catch an errant star or two.

Sending love,

Rosie

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from I’LL BE SEEING YOU by Suzanne Hayes & Loretta Nyhan.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Suzanne

Writing this novel would not have been possible without the support, patience and incredible care that my coauthor, Loretta Nyhan, gave to me and to each word on the page. We are, in many ways, just like Ivy and Rose. This novel brought us on a very similar journey.

To my family: my husband, William (my very own Sonny). My daughters, Rosy, Tess and Grace, who show me each day what true sisters mean to one another. To the entire team at MIRA for their support. Especially our editors, Erika Imranyi and Leonore Waldrip. Both indefatigable, unflappable and extraordinarily open-minded with the many directions this book took before it found its way.

To my literary agent, Anne Bohner, who navigates the waters of the publishing industry when I would surely slip under the surface.

To my mother, Theresa Cooper, for fostering my love of books. And to my Gram, Fay, for teaching me the value of pragmatism.

To New York City! Dreams
do
come true amid your multicolored chaos. And to the suffragettes who marched, fought and eventually won freedom for each generation that came after. The Empire Girls would have been very different young women without your generations of sacrifice.

Loretta

I heart New York.

For me,
Empire Girls
is a love letter to this most magical city. The vibrant, wonderful people who live in it nurtured my writing dreams when I was Ivy’s age, and continue to do so. I’d like to single some out in particular.

My heartfelt thanks to Leonore Waldrip and Erika Imranyi, two sharp, savvy Empire Girls who tirelessly shaped this novel from their Harlequin MIRA offices overlooking Broadway in lower Manhattan.

Heading north to midtown, huge thanks to my agent and personal hero, Joanna Volpe, and her team at New Leaf Literary & Media—Kathleen Ortiz, Danielle Barthel, Pouya Shahbazian, Jaida Temperly and Suzie Townsend—for their gracious support. Also, to my all-girl Algonquin Round Table: Erica, Lisa, Laura, Joyce, Erin, Ann, Lori, Robin, Libby, Rachel, Jenny, Kelly, Tracey, Alexa and Jean.

Special thanks to William Richard “Dick” Haray of Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Astoria, Queens—he’s gone on to play stickball outside of that Ebbets Field in the sky, but without Dick’s not-so-subtle encouragement, writing a book would have remained a pipe dream. I still hear his Noo Yawk–accented voice in my head telling me to just get going. His wife, Maryann, daughter, Diane, granddaughter, Jessica, and the rest of the Haray family deserve special recognition as well for their kindness today and all those years ago.

To my best boys, Tom, Dan and Jack, who are willing to climb the “mountains” of Central Park at my side—thank you for joining me on the adventure!

To the magical Suzy of New Haven, Connecticut (once of the Bronx)—when you stood on your porch, perched on tiptoes, you saw the lights of the city, didn’t you? Thanks, doll, for your vision, friendship and perseverance.

And to my friends and family, especially my parents—I am ever grateful for your constant love and support.

“Engaging, charming and moving, a beautifully rendered exploration of WWII on the homefront and the type of friendship that helps us survive all manner of battles.”
—
Kirkus
Starred Review on
I’ll Be Seeing You

If you loved
Empire Girls
by Suzanne Hayes & Loretta Nyhan be sure to also catch the critically acclaimed
I’ll Be Seeing You
by this dynamic duo. Available now in ebook format.

For more thought-provoking stories, be sure to also catch these compelling and emotional tales by acclaimed authors:

The Returned
by Jason Mott
Where Earth Meets Water
by Pia Padukone
City of Jasmine
by Deanna Raybourn
House of Glass
by Sophie Littlefield
Little Mercies
by Heather Gudenkauf
(July 2014)
The Good Girl
by Mary Kubica
(August 2014)
The Oleander Sisters
by Elaine Hussey
(August 2014)

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com

“A twisty, roller coaster ride of a debut. Fans of
Gone Girl
will embrace this equally evocative tale of a missing woman, shattered family and the lies we tell not just to each other, but especially to ourselves.”
—Lisa Gardner, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of
Fear Nothing

If you’re looking for an addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, be sure to catch
The Good Girl
(August 2014), a compulsive debut by Mary Kubica, where you’ll find that even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems…

Available in ebook. Order your copy today!

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com

January 19, 1943
ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS

Dear “Garden Witch,”

I’ve stained my fingers blue trying to do this
right.

Tonight, though, I’m feeling rather lonesome and overwhelmed,
so I’m throwing caution to the wind and finally writing to you, a woman I do not
know, with the honest understanding that you might not have the time (or desire)
to write back in return.

I guess the best place to begin is at the beginning, right?

There’s a ladies’ 4-H group that meets at the church hall on
Wednesday afternoons. I don’t really fit in, but I’m trying to pass the time.
Anyway, they didn’t give out real names, only these addresses, you know? And
said if we felt lonesome (which I do) or desperate (which I didn’t...but I feel
it creeping in on me day by day) or anything, we could sit down and write a
letter to another girl who might be in the same situation. The situation. I just
loved the way Old Lady Moldyflower (Mrs. Moldenhauer) said it. What does she
know about our “situation”?

They passed a hat around that held pieces of paper with fake
names and real addresses. I suppose the purpose is anonymity, but I figured if
we are going to write, why not know each other? The paper slips hadn’t been
folded, and the girls were sifting through, picking whichever struck their
fancy. The whole exercise felt silly and impractical, to tell you the truth. I
wasn’t going to take a name at all, but Mrs. Moldenhauer nudged me so hard I
believe she left a bruise on my upper arm. To spite her, I picked last. I guess
the other girls skipped over you because you have “witch” in your fake name. I
feel lucky I got you. I could use a little magic these days. I’m seven months
along now, and Robbie, Jr. is only just two. He’s a holy terror.

Well...here’s hoping you get this and you feel like writing
back. It’ll be good to run to the mailbox looking for a letter without an army
seal on it.

My name is Gloria Whitehall. I’m twenty-three years old. My
husband is First Sergeant Robert Whitehall in the Second Infantry.

Nice to make your acquaintance.

With fondest regards,

Glory

Copyright © 2014 by Suzanne Palmieri and Loretta Nyhan

EMPIRE GIRLS

SUZANNE HAYES & LORETTA NYHAN

Reader’s Guide

Questions for Discussion

1. Ivy and Rose Adams, despite growing up together, have night and day outlooks on the world. Did you find yourself identifying more closely with free-spirited Ivy or serious Rose? How?
   
2. After the death of their father, Ivy and Rose are shocked to find that he has left their home to a brother they didn’t know existed. What would you do in their situation—accept the terms, or try to fight them?
   
3. A theme of “lost and found” runs through this novel. Can you describe each character’s journey from lost to found, or found to lost? How is this theme applicable to us as we make our way through life?
   
4. Relationships are forged, strengthened and broken over the course of Empire Girls. Would you say that the novel is a love story? What are the different kinds of emotions explored, and which did you feel were the most powerful?
   
5. The residents of Empire House and the Village provide a rich, dynamic backdrop to the story. Did you have any favorite secondary characters? Who?
   
6. The Adams sisters spend almost the entire novel looking for their elusive half brother after losing their family and home. Were you surprised by the new family and home they found? In what ways is it traditional or nontraditional?