Lazaretto (31 page)

“I trust everyone is well this evening,” he said. This time he did not have to make his voice go deep when he said it.

ALTHOUGH THE PEOPLE,
situations, and plot lines that comprise the
Lazaretto
are fully imagined, the Lazaretto did, in fact, exist as a quarantine station. Its historical significance is indeed great, even as it remains relatively unexplored. Penn's David Barnes has called the Lazaretto “Ellis Island's great-grandfather.” Mr. Barnes's important research and writings on the quarantine station were helpful in stoking my imagination and shaping the
Lazaretto
's fictional world.

I HAVE NOT
included acknowledgments in the four novels following
Tumbling
, my first.
It felt redundant. The people in my universe have consistently provided the vital support and encouragement, the critiques, the space, the understanding, the distractions, the patience, the laughter, the love. But it's been twenty years since the first novel: twenty! My first agent has been replaced by the tenacious Suzanne Gluck, who knows what to say, and when, to keep me steady on the course. Claire Wachtel has continued to persevere through draft after draft; her assisting associate editor, Hannah Wood, is so efficient, so smart, as is Caroline Upcher, who contributed her editing prowess as well. Mary Rhodes, at ninety-four years of age, continues to serve as my wisdom well. And James Rahn is still helping writers like me push the material until it sings. Two of my siblings, Gloria and Bobby, are no longer here in the flesh, but their spirits are, and when my nieces, Robin and Celeste, smile, Gloria
is
here. Paula, Gwen, Elaine, and Vernell, are still the best sisters—and friends—a person could ask for; I'm grateful to their spouses, Charles, Jim, and Jerry; Celeste's husband, Jean; and my nephews, Aaron, Gerald, Paul, and David. My twins—my daughter, Taiwo, my son, Kehinde—are all grown up since that first novel; their insight regarding my work is amazing. And yes, their laughter is still my greatest joy, a nice chorus when Kehinde's wife, Teresa, and Taiwo's partner, Aaron, join in. Okay, so I'm being redundant anyhow. Though redundancy can be a beautiful thing, because Greg is still Greg, my soul mate and truest friend.

Blessings and love.

The author of the critically acclaimed novels
Tumbling
,
Tempest Rising
,
Blues Dancing
,
Leaving Cecil Street
, and
Trading Dreams at Midnight
,
DIANE MCKINNEY-WHETSTONE
is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's Literary Award for Fiction, which she won twice. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Greg. For more on Diane McKinney-Whetstone please visit www.mckinney-whetstone.com or follow her on Twitter @Dianemckwh.

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Tumbling

Tempest Rising

Blues Dancing

Leaving Cecil Street

Trading Dreams at Midnight

Cover design by Jarrod Taylor

Cover photograph © ullstein bild / Granger, NYC

Title page drawing of Lazaretto by Frank H. Taylor, 1895, courtesy of the Library of Congress

This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.

LAZARETTO.
Copyright © 2016 by Diane McKinney-Whetstone. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

EPub Edition April 2016 ISBN 9780062126986

ISBN: 978-0-06-212696-2

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