Helen Keller in Love (31 page)

Jim Schwartz provided encouragement and generously connected me with his agent.

Susan Sullivan, Hilary Nanda, and Jeremy Solomons contributed their love of literature and their collective wit every Tuesday and Thursday.

Suffolk University gave me a great place to flourish as a teacher and a writer.

Chris Castellani and all the folks at Grub Street Writers in Boston made writing and connecting with other writers a pleasure.

My superb agent, Stuart Bernstein, offered wisdom, ideas, and a path to publication that was a delight. My editor, Carole DeSanti, at Viking, contributed her keen editorial eye and full support.

Manon Hatvany and Marc Roudebush, the best friends anyone could have, made my life and the life of my family a pleasure.

My cousin Orna Feldman was my Boston family.

My sisters, Elizabeth Erskine, Catherine Tsairides, Carol Tudisco, and Maureen Bunney, and my mother, Mary Cardillicchio, gave their love. My brother, Nick Cardillicchio, was one of my real champions. His understanding of the importance of art was a gift.

My
father, Nick Cardillicchio, was an inspiration to me. He died in 2008, and I miss him every day. During the writing of this book he always asked to see it. Now I can say, “Dad, here it is.”

But my greatest thanks go to my beloved husband, David Rudner, and our dear son, Gabriel Sultan. Thank you, both, for your loving support. You are the center of my life.