Sugarless: A Novel

Acknowledgments [Includes Back Cover]

267 Acknowledgments “When am I going to get another story?” asks my cherished circle of first readers: Judy Dennis, Lillian Groag, Pebble Kranz, Kennie Pressman, Catherine Weidner, and Jaan Whitehead. Their faith in and attention to my sentences keep me at the laptop. Many friends, writers, editors, and showbiz collaborators encouraged and abetted my impulse to attempt fiction after years in the theater: Irene Lewis, Jean McGarry, Kathleen Hill, Rhona Bitner, Walt Wangerin Jr., Susan Birkenhead, Henry Krieger, Ed Ku, David Schweizer, Nancy Hoffman, Margaret Hunt, Jill Rachel Morris, Charlotte Stoudt, Tim Vasen, John Lanasa, Paul Hildner, Catherine Sheehy, Jeannette Festa, Dudley Clendenin, Peter Hagan, Wesley Gibson and Charles Flowers at Bloom, and Janet Horn. My gratitude and affection to one and all. A portion of Sugarless was written at the MacDowell Colony, where wonders happen, especially in winter. Colonists Amy Bloom, James Cañon, Kelly Link, Margo Rabb, and Lisa Shea were unstinting with their lovely selves and liberal with their professional advice. The nonpareil Michael Mayer came through for me yet again, this time leaving a copy of the manuscript in the elevator for his neighbor Nicole Aragi. Her generous read led me directly to my agent, Katherine Fausset, whose efforts to keep my spirits up and Sugarless in play over the long haul were extraordinary and deeply appreciated. I’d like to thank Raphael Kadushin, Nicole Kvale, Adam Mehring, Andrea Christofferson, and the entire team at University of Wisconsin Press for their enthusiasm and care. I am especially grateful to Dick Scanlan, who spotted a more compelling story in an early draft and insisted that it must be told, and to Joy Johannessen, whose editorial lapidary helped bring it out. Finally, a lunch with Kathy Shapiro can turn my worst days around, and David Nolta sets the bar for comedy, prose, and friendship. And then there is my partner, Steve Bolton, the happy ending to every story and every day. 268 ...