Acknowledgments
I understand now, more than ever, how it takes a village—an enthusiastic, generous, and savvy village—to launch a book into the world.
Thank you to the entire Thomas Nelson family, especially Amanda Bostic, Allison Carter, Paul Fisher, Kristen Golden, Jodi Hughes, Kristen Ingebretson, Karli Jackson, and Becky Monds. Thank you to Allison and Kristen G. for answering my million questions and helping me navigate this new world of publicity, marketing, and general author business! Thank you to Karli for your incredibly wise and insightful reading and careful editing of Hurricane Season and to Jodi for jumping into Hurricane Season in Karli’s absence and taking care of me. Thank you to Kristen I. for another gorgeous cover. Thank you to Julee Schwarzburg for another round of careful and fun edits. Thank you to the entire sales team who works so hard to get my books into the hands of bookstores around the country. Thank you also to my sharp and savvy agent, Karen Solem, who is always quick with encouragement and can tamp down my anxiety with just a few calm words.
Thank you to my friends in Alabama Writers Connect: Doug Bullock, Michael Calvert, Nancy Dorman-Hickson, Anna Gresham, Chuck Measel, Denise Trimm, and Jennifer Walker-Journey. Thank you for throwing the yellow flag when necessary. You all helped me dig deeper than I thought I could, and Hurricane Season is much stronger for it. I’ll bring the wine next time.
Thank you to friends who read this story in the early stages and gave helpful feedback: Anna Gresham, Ella Olson, Sara Beth Cobb. A huge thank-you to Will Gilmer of Gilmer Dairy Farm in Lamar County, Alabama, and Kerra Middleton and Robert Middleton of Middleton Farms in Moss Point, Mississippi, for answering my questions about cows, storms, and dairy farming. You all provided such helpful feedback, and if I got anything wrong, it’s on me, not you!
Thank you to all the book bloggers, book communities, and book reviewers who helped spread word about The Hideaway to new readers. You’re a tremendous help to authors, especially new ones like me, and I was honored time and time again by the welcoming embrace you all gave me! Thank you especially to Kristy Barrett, Barbara Bos, Jen Cannon, Dena Charlton, Danielle Feliciano, Kellye Garrett and the 17 Scribes community, Holly Hamblin, Lisa Munley, Jenny O’Regan, Laura Rash, Kristen Swanson, and Jessi Tarbet. Thank you also to bookstores and librarians all over the country who put The Hideaway on your shelves. I hope you and your readers enjoy Hurricane Season just as much.
Thank you to Eric Holsomback for answering a pile of questions about cameras and darkroom procedures. Thank you to Laura McLeod and my mom, Kaye Koffler, for being my south Alabama publicists! Thank you to Anna Gresham for the brainstorming, laughter, and conversation that continues to be a lifeline. So glad you Facebook stalked me.
Thank you to my sweet little family: Matt, Kate, and Sela. Thank you for putting up with papers and Post-its spread all over the house, for letting me escape when necessary to figure out the characters and other worlds in my head, and for sharing in my excitement and joy over this crazy book-writing thing. I love you and am so thankful for you. Thank you to the rest of my wildly supportive, funny, and loving family: Randy and Kaye Koffler, Joe and Charlotte Denton, Jake and Leigh Koffler, William and Connie Seale, and assorted Kofflers, Rolls, Handwergers, Cranes, and Kirbys. Thank you to everyone who read The Hideaway and took time to tell me you enjoyed it, and thank you for telling other friends about it!
Thank you to writer Dani Shapiro for the enormous encouragement and wisdom found in her book Still Writing. Her essays about the struggles and joys of writing helped pull me through the “I can’t do this” sections of Hurricane Season.
Even though I’ve been breathing in books like air for as long as I can remember, this is a “job” I never imagined I’d actually be doing. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity, and I pray I can continue to write stories that entertain as well as allow readers to feel a sense of connection and of being heard.
Discussion Questions
1.At the start of the book, Jenna loved her children but she also longed for a way to pursue her creative impulses. Did you understand her feeling of not knowing how to balance motherhood obligations with the need/desire to pursue her art and live a creative life? Or was it frustrating to see her making choices you wouldn’t make?
2.Betsy longed to have children, but when it looked like pregnancy wouldn’t happen for her, she closed the door on that dream. Do you have any experience with having to mentally move on from something you desired that wasn’t totally in your control to achieve?
3.As much as he could, Ty tried to understand Betsy’s feelings and choices. Do you agree with how he handled her dealings with Jenna and her decision to talk to the principal about school? Should he have responded or handled the situations in a different way?
4.Is there one character you connect with more than the others? Maybe because of his or her actions, inaction, hesitations, or desires?
5.If a woman takes time off from work or family obligations to pursue something she enjoys, do you think our society’s reaction to that mother’s choice is different from a man wanting the same thing? Would a man receive comments like “You’re a parent—you really should be home with your children”? Would it be easier for a man to pursue his passions and hobbies because he doesn’t have mom guilt? Or do you think parents across the board battle guilt and pressure when trying to balance family obligations with personal desires?
6.It’s often difficult for people who experience no trouble having children to understand the
