Ham (34 page)

First and foremost, I must thank the godfather of this manuscript, Frank Langella, who told me to write write write, without result in mind. His mentorship, encouragement, and constant friendship were the birth of this effort. Thank you to David Elzer, who planted the seed years before I put fingers to keys. Also to the friends who read and listened to stories and ideas: Joel Brooks, Karen Newberg, Todd Schroeder, David Kaufman, Diann Duthie, Matt Harris, Nancy Berglass, and Bridget Moynahan. And to those who loyally read again and again: Michelle Zabel, Laura Brugnoni, and especially Sarah Rutan, who was my insightful touchstone throughout the entire process. I am most grateful to Bruce Newberg, who could not be a more stalwart, inspiring, and gifted friend, who asks the right questions and always, always makes me be better. Thanks to Ed Razzano for the business of songs. Thanks to Michael Agostino for his web magic and tireless inventive dedication. Thanks to Liza Minnelli, who also encouraged me to write write write and gave her blessing to put forth my truth in stories which included personal accounts of our long friendship. I owe thanks to the citizens of Sand Springs, who did not always understand me, but ultimately embraced me nonetheless. To my parents, who were endlessly asked to rattle their memories for odd facts and time lines, and who trusted and supported my perspective without question. Thanks to David Forrer, whose contribution to this effort surpassed that of any agent: he is an editor, advisor, challenger, enthusiast, and friend. To Mitchell Ivers at Gallery Books, my dream editor, who shepherded, nurtured, and waved a banner for
Ham
before it was fully cooked—and then supplied spices and cut fat and brought it to the table. To Louise Burke and Jen Bergstrom for their unparalleled enthusiasm, intelligence, and rare sense of joy, and the fiercely dedicated angels at Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, especially Mary McCue, Ellen Chen, Liz Psaltis, John Paul Jones, Natalie Ebel, and Natasha Simons. To Sandi Mendelson, Judy Hilsinger, and Cathy Gruhn for the ballyhoo. And finally, to my husband, Danny Jacobsen—my mainstay, and the very essence of partnership, who inspires and colors my days. I'd thank our son, Cooper, but he doesn't yet read and has the attention span of a gnat and interrupted my writing every ten minutes for the length of the project. And yet, he is somehow the inspiration for . . . everything.

The stories in this book are true accounts as I remember them. In certain instances, I've left out people who may have been present, but weren't active in the drive of the story. Details of the timeline have also occasionally been omitted when they were not pertinent to the larger picture and would have bogged down the through line. Lastly, I've changed a few names, left off some surnames and avoided a few names completely—mostly those of people whom I feared might beat me up.

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First Gallery Books hardcover edition January 2014

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Designed by Esther Paradelo

Jacket design by Zoe Norvell

Jacket photograph by Jana Leon/Getty Images

Author photograph by Ray Garcia

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-4767-3341-8

ISBN 978-1-4767-3345-6 (ebook)