The Maid (29 page)

To Jackie

It takes a village to publish a book. Thank you to the following extraordinary people in my village:

My visionary, dream-making agent, Madeleine Milburn, and her team at the Madeleine Milburn Literary TV & Film Agency, especially Liane-Louise Smith, Liv Maidment, Giles Milburn, Georgina Simmonds, Georgia McVeigh, Rachel Yeoh, Hannah Ladds, Sophie Péllisier, Emma Dawson, and Anna Hogarty.

My wise, endlessly supportive, and inspiring editors, Hilary Teeman at Penguin Random House U.S., Nicole Winstanley at Penguin Random House Canada, and Charlotte Brabbin at HarperFiction UK. You make everything better.

The many, many publishing champions in markets around the world who are bringing this book to readers.

Special thanks in Canada are owed to Kristin Cochrane, Tonia Addison, Bonnie Maitland, Beth Cockeram, Scott Sellers, and Marion Garner.

And in the U.S. to Caroline Weishuhn, Jennifer Hershey, Kim Hovey, Kara Welsh, Cindy Berman, Erin Korenko, Elena Giavaldi, Paolo Pepe, Jennifer Garza, Susan Corcoran, Quinne Rogers, Taylor Noel, Michelle Jasmine, Virginia Norey, and Debbie Aroff.

And in the UK to Kimberley Young, Kate Elton, Lynne Drew, Isabel Coburn, Sarah Munro, Alice Gomer, Hannah O’Brien, Sarah Shea, Rachel Quinn, Maddy Marshall, Jennifer Harlow, Ben Hurd, Andrew Davis, Claire Ward, and Grace Dent.

The movie magic-makers I’m so lucky to be working with—Josie Freedman and Alyssa Weinberger at ICM Partners, Chris Goldberg at Winterlight Pictures, Jeyun Munford and Christine Sun at Universal Pictures, and Josh McLaughlin at Wink Pictures.

Kevin Hanson and the entire past and present team at Simon & Schuster, especially Sarah St. Pierre, Brendan May, Jessica Scott, Phyllis Bruce, Laurie Grassi, Janie Yoon, Justin Stoller, Jasmine Elliott, Karen Silva, Felicia Quon, Shara Alexa, Sherry Lee, Lorraine Kelly, David Millar, Adria Iwasutiak, Alison Callahan, Jen Bergstrom, and Suzanne Baboneau. You are my people—you are book people. May we always take childlike delight in unboxing first printings and be thrilled by shelf sightings in the wild.

Industry pros and advisors Adrienne Kerr, Marianne Gunn O’Connor, Keith Shier, and Samantha Haywood.

Carolyn Reidy, sorely missed. I’d hoped we could talk about this book because your notes would have been just like you—blunt and brilliant. Wherever you are, I know you’re still reading.

My authors, for teaching me everything I know about writing and for the great privilege of working on your books. Special thanks to Ashley Audrain, Samantha M. Bailey, and Karma Brown for early support when I needed it most.

Adria Iwasutiak, publicist extraordinaire and loyal friend within and beyond publishing.

Jorge Gidi Delgadillo and Sarah Fulton, with love and gratitude for walking with me on an exquisite journey and for sharing a love of story from our very beginnings.

Pat and Feriel Pagni, voracious readers and new family, dear to my heart.

My friends, especially Zoe Maslow, Roberto Verdecchia, Ed Innocenzi, Aileen Umali Rist and Eric Rist, Ryan Wilson and Sandy Gabriele, Jimena Ortuzar, Martin Ortuzar, and Ingrid Nasager—I thank my lucky stars for all of you.

Aunt Suzanne, the best cleaner and most loving aunt a niece could ask for.

Tony Hanyk, my first and kindest reader, and my loving partner in many glorious (yes, glorious) adventures.

And finally, special thanks are owed to my family, the Pronovosts, for making me who I am—Jackie and Paul, my mom and dad; Dan and Patty, my brother and sister-and-law; Devin and Joane, my nephew and niece. Long may we tell our stories, and long may we live them.

Nita Prose
is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean. She would love to hear from you at
nitaprose.com
or on
Twitter
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:
@NitaProse
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