Flyaway Page 15

  "How long is she going to stay there ?" I ask.

  "Shhh," Alan says. "Watch."

  With a loud chirp, she flaps her wings and lifts right off the branch. She seems to hover in the air for a second, then she swoops over us and glides toward the water.

  Rick and Aunt Mindy cheer; Valerie claps her hands. I want to cheer too, but the lump in my throat won't let me.

  Aunt Mindy's eyes catch mine, and she comes up beside me and gives me a squeeze. I lean my head against her shoulder. Alan grabs my hand, and I hang on tight. We watch till the robin's just a speck in the wide blue sky.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to my wonderful agent, Chris Richman of Upstart Crow Literary, for taking a chance on me and giving my story wings. Thanks also to my brilliant editor, Samantha McFerrin, for attending to every detail, and to everyone at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt who helped Flyaway soar.

  I am grateful to Candy Brown, Rebecca Mandell, and the staff at PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lynwood, Washington, for teaching me about bird care and giving me firsthand experience in feeding wild birds, and to Shirley Shumway of Second Chance Wildlife Care Center in Snohomish, Washington, for allowing me a peek into a home-based wildlife rehabilitation clinic. Thank you, as well, to D'Artagnan Caliman for sharing his expertise in and experience with the foster care system.

  A special thanks to Darcy Pattison, whose excellent Novel Revision Retreat gave me the tools to transform my rough draft into a viable novel, and to all the members of my critique group, past and present, whose feedback guided me in honing my words.

  Last, but certainly not least, I will be forever indebted to my husband, Steven Bishofsky, for always being there with an encouraging word and a listening ear, and to my parents, Bernard and Gloria Rimland, for giving me the courage to chase my dreams.