Souvenir (38 page)

Acknowledgments

A
FIRST NOVEL IS VERY MUCH LIKE A FIRST CHILD
. I
T’S THE ONE THAT GETS
the most undivided attention, the one that’s most fussed over, worried over—the one you can hardly bear to see leave the nest. Once it’s away, you want to
do
something for it. Send it a sweater, a little extra cash. Call it frequently to see how it’s faring.

Soon, though, you realize that it’s okay to let go a little. You relax when you know it’s in good hands. Hands like those of my terrific agent, Wendy Sherman; and Jenny Meyer, who handles foreign rights. Like those of my insightful editor, Linda Marrow. Thank you, ladies, for taking such good care of
Souvenir
, and of me.

At the heart of this story is the matter of writing. Not for publication, but for posterity. After my mom, Sally Campbell, died suddenly in 2004, I was tasked with looking through her desk and file cabinet, searching out documents so that my brothers and I could put her affairs in order. Though I found most of what we needed, I didn’t find what I’d most hoped for: some kind of journal inside of which I would find
Mom
. A place to visit her and perhaps get even better acquainted.

What I did find was the seed of a story.

For helping me hone my skills for telling that story, I thank the faculty of North Carolina State University’s MFA creative writing faculty, as well as my workshop classmates there—Kathleen Laughlin in particular. The members of my writers’ group had a hand in
Souvenir
. My thanks to Sharon Kurtzman, Janet Silber, Maureen Sherbondy, Louisa Jones, Marjorie McNamara, Becky Gee, and Lisa Morgan. (Special shout-out to Sharon!)

I am fortunate to have a family full of believers: No one ever treated my wish to be a novelist with skepticism (not to my face, at any rate!). My thanks to Cele Heuman, all the Fowlers, the Dellavas, the Lubliners, the Rubovits clan, and the Timmons family.

The friendship of Pam Litchfield, Bob Egler, Mike Legeros, Peggy Houser, and Pat and Bernie Clarke makes everything that much better. And this experience would be far less than it is without the camaraderie of my blog pals who “get” me when I show my literary nerd side.
Just keep writing
…

Last, my gratitude and love to Ben, Daniel, and Andrew: No woman could have a better life than I have with you.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

T
HERESE
F
OWLER
holds an MFA in creative writing. She grew up in Illinois, but now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons. This is her first novel.

Souvenir
is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Copyright © 2008 by Therese Fowler

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B
ALLANTINE
and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Fowler, Therese.

Souvenir: a novel / Therese Fowler.

p.                            cm.

1. Mothers and daughters—fiction. 2. Family secrets—Fiction. 3. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

PS3606.0857S68 2008

813'.6—dc22                                                                2007028735

www.ballantinebooks.com

eISBN: 978-0-345-50462-3

v3.0