The Ambassador's Wife (55 page)

Infinite gratitude to the following people for their counsel and assistance:

My indefatigable agent Brettne Bloom, who encouraged me to write a novel and patiently edited several drafts

Kris Puopolo, my brilliant editor at Doubleday, whose thoughts vastly improved the story and writing

Assistant editor Daniel Meyer, for his perceptive comments

My copyeditors at Doubleday, unsung heros, for their meticulous reading

Author and Arabist Tim Mackintosh-Smith, for assistance with the Arabic and bits of mythology (any mistakes are my own)

Rosemary James and Joseph J. DeSalvo Jr., for their belief in this book from the first draft, their New Orleans–style hospitality, and their friendship

Dave Deacon and Lloyd Paterson, two reasons I lived long enough to write this

Mohammed, Yusuf, and the rest of the team, who saved me

The entire staff of the British embassy in Sana'a

Marina and Adria Merli, who catered to my every whim at Arte Studio Ginestrelle, the idyllic Italian residency where I finished the first draft

Nina Ball-Pesut, Bill Homewood, Dirk Lee, and Dana McCain, for their thoughts on the earliest and roughest of drafts

Rebecca Steil-Lambert, MSW, LICSW, MPH; Joanne Ahola, MD, PC; and Michelle May, MS, for their expertise in trauma

The Byrdcliffe Artist in Residence Program, for time and space

Crown Prosecution Service, for its guidance on identity fraud

Several nameless hostage negotiators whose stories proved invaluable

The dozens of British diplomats who helped me with technical details and questions of procedure (again, any mistakes are my own)

Irish artist Keith Wilson, who not only talked with me about painting and art, but took me to his studio and handed me a brush

Australian writer Anna Hedigan, for her encyclopedic brain

Roasters Boutique, for the best cappuccinos in Bolivia and a worktable

Ana Maria Yapu, without whom I would have no time to work

Maria Teresa Torres, for her friendship and support

Maria Cecilia Torres, for space and silence at a critical moment

BOSE noise-canceling headphones

My hiking companions Ingebjørg, Michele, Miruna, and Esmé, for bravery and serenity

Irene Colquehuanca and Hugo Márquez, for sustenance and good humor

The women of the A Room of Her Own Foundation, for their brains, artistry, and unflagging advocacy

Jill Conway Mehl and Marc Mehl, for their open door

Negesti, Alem, Emebet, Salaam, Yoseph, and Girma, who nearly ruined me for normal life

Sara Hijazi, for giving the first germ of this book time and space to grow

My parents, Cynthia and Gilbert Steil, the most enthusiastic publicists an author could wish for

Above all, I thank my husband, Tim Torlot, and daughter, Theadora Celeste Steil Torlot, for being constant sources of inspiration and joy, as well as the foundation of everything I do.

Jennifer Steil is the author of the memoir
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky
, about her experience as a journalist living in Yemen. Before moving to Yemen in 2006, she was a senior editor at
The Week
, which she helped to launch in 2001. Her work has appeared in the
World Policy Journal
, the
Washington Times, Time
, and
Life
. She currently lives in Bolivia with her husband and daughter. This is her first novel.