The Ramblers (33 page)

F
irst, I must thank three brilliant women who read multiple drafts of this book and whose encouragement kept me going: Brettne Bloom, Lucia Macro, and Christine Pride. This book would not exist without their imaginative guidance.

I am indebted to Lucia's wonderful team at William Morrow, especially Liate Stehlik, Kelly Rudolph, Kaitlin Harri, Nicole Fischer, Leah Carlson-Stanisic, Serena Wang, and Aja Pollock. Thanks also to Sarah Burningham of Little Bird Publicity, Brettne's lovely assistant Dana Murphy at The Book Group, and to Jenny Meyer.

I'm enormously grateful to the experts I consulted with while researching this book. Eleanor Sterling at the glorious American Museum of Natural History in New York was generous with her time and connected me with Ana Luz Porzecanski and Paul Sweet, who enlightened me about the ornithology world. Philippe Cheng shared the intricacies and wonders of photography with me. Libby Nelson educated me about the intriguing modern space of Co-Active Life Coaching. Rachel Yehaskel of Resourceful Consultants, LLC shed light on the work of a professional organizer. Gareth Russell helped me bring to life my dear Northern Irishman Henry Kildare. Jes Gordon lent me her party planning skills, this time for a fictional wedding. Durre Nabi and Lindsay Choudry talked with me about Pakistani culture and customs. Jennie Tarr Coyne and Patsy Tarr graciously welcomed me into their San Remo homes.

I wish to thank all of you who shared your firsthand experiences of bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses with me. You will remain anonymous here, but please know that I'm tremendoulsy grateful for your personal stories and hard-earned insights. I am also indebted to Dr. Lauren Weinstock and Dr. Brian Kurtz for their medical expertise.

Thank you to all of the wildly talented writers I've come to know over the past six years, both online and in real life, and to all the women who have joined me for my Happier Hours Literary Salons. Your friendship means the world to me.

Thank you to the wonderful Rowley family for your love and support. I lucked out in the in-law department. You are the best.

Thank you, Yolanda and Pat, for taking such tremendous care of our girls and our home while I'm writing.

Thank you to my favorite Donnelley women. To my sisters Inanna, Naomi, Ceara and Tegan and your families. To Mom, for teaching me to write and encouraging me to read and, above all, for showing me how to be a good mom to girls in this amazing urban jungle. To Dad, who read me
Charlotte's Web
when I was a little girl, kindling my longtime affection for E. B. White. Many years later, I encountered White's
Here Is New York
, a brilliant portrait of this city of mine, and an inspira
tion for this book. Dad, you are now fishing in distant waters, but your spirit infuses
The Ramblers
.

Finally, thank you to my husband and to my daughters. Bryan, you are my rock, my world, my rambler. My Rowlets, my sweet petites, there are no words to describe my love for you. You inspire me. You light a little fire under me. You fill my days with laughter and light. Everything I write is for you.

B
orn and raised in New York City,
AIDAN DONNELLEY ROWLEY
graduated from Yale University and received her law degree from Columbia University. She is the author of a previous novel,
Life After Yes
, and the creator of the Happier Hours Literary Salons. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and three daughters.

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Life After Yes

COVER DESIGN BY MUMTAZ MUSTAFA

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS: © MATT BURKE 2012 / GETTY IMAGES (BOW BRIDGE); © EVA _ MASK / SHUTTERSTOCK (BIRDS)

Here Is New York
© 1949 by E. B. White

Used by Permission. All rights reserved.

“New York” logo and “Best of New York” typeface used with permission from New York Media, LLC.

The Way You Look Tonight

from SWING TIME

Words by Dorothy Fields

Music by Jerome Kern

Copyright ©1936 UNIVERSAL-POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING, INC. and ALDI MUSIC

Copyright Renewed

Print Rights for ALDI MUSIC in the U.S. Controlled and Administered by
HAPPY ASPEN MUSIC LLC c/o SHAPIRO, BERNSTEIN & CO., INC.

All Rights Reserved           Used by Permission

Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Corporation

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE RAMBLERS.
Copyright © 2016 by Aidan Donnelley Rowley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

Title page designed by Leah Carlson-Stanisic

Hummingbird art courtesy of Eva_Mask/Shutterstock, Inc.

EPub Edition February 2016 ISBN 9780062413338

ISBN 978-0-06-241331-4

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