She always had her eye on the big picture and wasn’t afraid to do what it took to set me straight. The best example of this was when I was twenty-four. I was finishing law school and Mom noticed I wasn’t very socially active but more importantly she could see how that was affecting me even if I couldn’t. Mom suggested I try online dating. I responded with a litany of reasons why that wouldn’t work for me. Mom looked me in the eyes and told me either I could make a profile, or she would do it for me. Mom did not make idle threats. I promptly made a Match profile, not a real one, just one to say I did it. Mom found the profile and told me to fix it or start thinking of ways to describe myself. Terrified, I brought it up to snuff and shortly thereafter met someone. We married three years later.
The only thing greater than Mom’s mind was her heart. When Mom was in your corner you could not lose. I always wanted to be a lawyer, but I was never good at standardized tests. Mom never let me quit my dream and did everything in her power to help me pass the LSATs and even more to pass the bar. She was there each step of the way cheering louder and louder. When I graduated law school, she even gave me my diploma. It’s one of my happiest memories not just because of that sweet moment, but seconds after she handed it to me, she came up behind me and hugged me right onstage. She was happier than I was when I got Silverbolt. Mom didn’t just celebrate success, she magnified it and could make you feel like you had saved the world.
Perhaps most of all Mom loved a good time. She was a master of ceremonies bar none. She really shined when it came to birthdays. People who knew my mom knew that a Dot Party was an event not to be missed, but birthdays were on a whole other level. My favorite birthday story isn’t mine but my dad’s. When Dad turned sixty Mom was determined to give him the night of his life. She raised a tent on the tennis court, hired a DJ and invited everyone, and I do mean everyone, my dad ever knew. From Grandma and Grandpa to his college roommate and even childhood friends. She topped it off with his favorite food and speeches from all the special people in his life. It’s the happiest I’d ever seen my dad. We carried on late into the night, until our neighbors called the cops. But Mom, ever the hostess, convinced them to join us.
Mom would do whatever it took to ensure people were happy and was not above acting silly or making a crude joke to make people laugh. She had a way of making people have fun no matter what they were doing. Always keeping the mood light and happy in the house and ensuring everyone kept smiling. For instance, during family game nights my dad would take the game, usually UNO, very seriously. Victoria and I would groan at this mandatory fun, so Mom’s response was to pass me cards under the table to ensure Dad lost. I’d be mortified but take the cards. Dad would catch on and break out laughing. Then the game would really begin.
People mattered to Mom. She could take a random person, speak to them for thirty seconds, and be their best friend. I think that’s why she was so successful as a writer. Fundamentally, she cared about people very deeply. I can’t even count how many times I walked in on her late at night answering emails from fans. I’m so proud of Mom and all she accomplished and I’m thankful not just for everything she did for me but also how she touched so many people’s lives. I hope you get that from reading this anthology and Mom becomes as great a friend to you as she is to me.
About the Authors
ELIN HILDERBRAND is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She has lived on Nantucket for twenty-five years and is the mother of three teenagers.
ADRIANA TRIGIANI is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, which have been published in thirtysix countries around the world. She is also an award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker.
PATTI CALLAHAN is a USA Today bestselling author of fifteen novels, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis—The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis. She is the recipient of a Christy Award, a Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year Award.
MARY ALICE MONROE is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including On Ocean Boulevard, which is the sixth installment of the Beach House series. More than 7.5 million copies of her books have been published worldwide, and she’s earned numerous accolades and awards.
NATHALIE DUPREE is the James Beard Award–winning author of fourteen cookbooks. She started the New Southern Cooking movement and is the coauthor of Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking.
CASSANDRA KING CONROY is an award-winning and bestselling novelist whose fiction has won the hearts of readers everywhere, especially in the American South. The widow of acclaimed author Pat Conroy, she is honorary chair of the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
MARY NORRIS is the New York Times bestselling author of Greek to Me and Between You & Me. She joined the editorial staff of The New Yorker in 1978 and was a copy editor and proofreader there for more than thirty years. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she lives in New York and Rockaway.
MARJORY WENTWORTH is the New York Times bestselling author of Out of Wonder, Poems Celebrating Poets (with Kwame Alexander and Chris Colderley), and many
