Compulsively Mr. Darcy (29 page)

The best part of writing this novel is the friendships I have gained. Besides the numerous readers who kept asking for more, I owe a big debt of gratitude to: my sister and Maria for being there from the first word, laughing; Kendra, Mary Anne, TJean, and Susan for their invaluable encouragement and help with the first draft; Mischa, Dawn, and Teresita for cheering and reading the finished first draft; Linda, Francesca, Carol, and Josephine for cheering and reading the ninth draft; and Sharon, Catherine, and Patricia for cheering and tirelessly proofreading the nth draft.

A special thank you to my critique partner and guardian angel, Pamala Knight, who encouraged, pushed, and threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't pursue publication.

Thank you to my editor Deb Werksman for finding it a compulsive read and for her sharp editorial insights.

Thank you to my agent Jill Marsal for believing in my writing voice.

Lastly, thank you to my husband and children for bemusedly tolerating my Jane Austen addiction and my tabloid addiction.

Nina Benneton

When Nina Benneton and her family first arrived in America years ago, she took one look at the front lawns of her new neighborhood and thought,
Gosh, these Americans are indeed a blessed race. They even got the gods to give them the power to grow trees in perfect geometric shapes.
Inspired, she spent years making her family proud by trying to achieve the American dream—college, graduate school, gainful employment, then conquering the world and winning a Nobel Prize in something. A wonderful husband and a gaggle of beautiful children interrupted her attaining the last two goals, though the family promised she could resume her campaign once the nest is emptied.

Meanwhile, armed with a laptop, a stack of tabloid magazines, and a dog-eared Jane Austen novel, Nina started writing. On the same week that she learned
Compulsively
Mr. Darcy
would be published, she went to the local nursery to look for trees with perfect geometric shapes to plant in her yard. She is hard at work on her third novel.