Tampa (23 page)

I have enormous gratitude for my agent Jim Rutman, whose
encouragement
and support nurtured this book from its inception. Your warm humor, avuncular counsel, and savvy feedback have been
indispensible
assets on this journey, and your unflinching bravery and restrained poker face when exposed to my office décor and fast-food habits are likewise noteworthy of admiration. Thank you for
excelling
in humanity on all accounts. A hearty thanks also to Dwight Curtis, Kirsten Hartz, Anna Webber, and everyone involved in
helping
this manuscript find its way.

I’m likewise indebted to my genius editor Lee Boudreaux, who could not possibly be smarter; the brilliant wisdom of your comments was a continually energizing wind, and the nuclear glow of your
enthusiasm
brightened each day of this great adventure. A boisterous, thundering thanks goes to Karen Maine, Andrea Molitor, Michael McKenzie, all the phenomenal people at Ecco/HarperCollins, and Kathleen Schmidt. Equal thanks go across the pond to Lee
Brackstone
for his immediate enthusiasm, vision, and belief, as well as the keen notes and fabulous insight that helped shape the book’s final version.

Thank you to the relatives, friends, and peers who surround and support me—I am so lucky to be encircled by a fantastic group of fellow writers, academics, artists, and eccentrics who make a rich creative life possible. Thank you to my family. 

For all your unconditional love and support, thank you to my husband, Shawn. You could not be more essential to me, in every way. And thank you to Sparrow, who was my literal copilot for much of the editing of this book. Welcome, my love. You are already my everything.

Alissa Nutting is an assistant professor of creative writing at John Carroll University. She is the author of the award-winning collection of stories
Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls.
Her work has appeared in the
New York Times, Oprah, Tin House, Fence
and
Bomb
, among others. This is her first novel.

Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls