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I'll forever be grateful to you, and I really hope we can all meet one day, have coffee, laugh, and talk about books for hours.

How much fun would that be?

To Amy, thank you for trusting me with your experience and for helping me understand the parts of widowhood that I could never fully understand myself. Your honesty, encouragement, and willingness to help me get Nora's journey right have meant more than I can express. I hope you know how much of a difference you've made to this story.

To my husband, you believed in me when no one else did. You're my biggest fan, and you understand when I'm working on edits at one in the morning or suddenly reach for my phone because something has sparked an idea for my books.

Thank you for believing I could do this.

To my children, I know Mommy has been busy these last few months, but I promise I'll take some time off.

Your cuddles and kisses are the reason I breathe, and you are my biggest fans. You open every new copy of my books with me, oohing and aahing over the pages, even though you have absolutely no clue what's inside them.

When we lost Nonno, you sometimes saw me cry, and somehow, you always knew when I needed a hug.

"He's okay now, Mamma. He's in heaven."

And then you'd crawl into bed beside me and give me the best hugs in the world.

You got me through some of the hardest days of my life, and I hope that one day you'll understand just how much those little moments meant to me.

I am the richest mom alive because I have you three.

And I hope you'll always remember that I love you to Andromeda and back.

To my mother, you survived grief and the loss of the love of your life. You broke, and somehow, you found the strength to build yourself up again.

You were, and still are, one of my greatest inspirations for Nora.

You're in every page. Sicily is you, and I hope I've portrayed it well.

Ti voglio bene, Mamma. Forever.

To my siblings, my nephews and nieces, and their girlfriends and boyfriends who somehow became family too,

We don't even fit into one house anymore, and I love that about us.

We're too many, we're chaotic, we're loud, and our karaoke and Hitster nights are memories I'll always hold dear.

And yes, some of those karaoke stunts and moments of family chaos have found their way into my books. You know who you are.

I was blessed with five siblings, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Big families really are the best.

To my best friend, Anna, you've been by my side since we were in the cradle.

You only need to look at me to know whether I'm doing fine or whether something is wrong. We've had that bond since we were little, and I hope you know you're the sister to my soul.

You carried me through some of my darkest times, and you're always there when I need you.

You understand my silence. You don't mind when I disappear for weeks, sometimes even months, because you know me. You know that sometimes I need to retreat into my own little world.

And when I come back, you're still there.

Thank you for being you.

To Lisa, Miriam, Antonella, Laura, and Melissa, I am blessed with such wonderful friends.