Keeper of the Keys

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

So many people are involved in the making of a novel. We have been lucky over the past years in having the backing of a fine publisher and are very grateful for the hard work undertaken by the imaginative and efficient staff at The Bantam Dell Publishing Group. As this novel presents a different direction for us, the process has been even more trying than usual, but we’ve heard nary a discouraging word.

We would especially like to thank our outstanding literary agent, Nancy Yost of Lowenstein-Yost Associates, Inc., for her steady guidance, enthusiasm, and creative participation. Nancy is that rare combination, a powerhouse professional associate and wonderful friend. Danielle Perez, Senior Editor for the Bantam Dell Publishing Group, contributed her usual unflinching critical eye, maintaining her patient support through an embarrassing number of drafts. Many thanks, Danielle, for your fair and gentle guidance.

For insight into the business of house appraisals, we relied on Mary’s knowledgeable and experienced Plantation Café buddy, Jim, of James J. Nicholas & Associates, real estate appraiser and consultant, Redwood City, California. A warm pat on the arm to you from Nina Reilly, Jim. That’s all you’ll ever get from her, whatever you may dream.

We also want to thank Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, which unwittingly contributed inspiration for our architectural firm. Nobody in Ray’s firm remotely resembles the good people working there, past or present, and none of the opinions about the business or building aesthetics expressed in our novel is theirs-these are all the authors’. However, anyone considering a major project ought to run straight to these talented people to get a taste of real, world-class architecture.

We have thought a lot about our own childhoods in writing this book, and how important our double cousins, Stephanie and Marc O’Shaughnessy, have been to our lives. We grew up together and remain very close. We stole heavily from their childhoods, too, along with cribbing from those of our sister, Meg, and Patrick, our late brother. We used our cousins’ house on Franklin Street as Kat’s childhood home. We will always treasure those hot summer days together in Pe

And a final appreciation goes out to the good friends who put up with our insecurities, busy schedules, and late-night calls: Joan Westlund, Joa

Perri O'Shaughnessy