I hope this finds you and your family well and happy. I thought I would take this opportunity to speak to all of you a little more personally. I regard the people who get this newsletter as my best and dearest readers, so that I feel comfortable sharing with you the sentiments behind the new book.
As you know, it's called DADDY'S GIRL, and that title, as well as the novel itself, have a profound meaning for me, especially at this time of year. As some of you who've come to my signings may know, I was very close to my late father, Frank Scottoline. I was, in every respect, a daddy's girl. My father was a calm, warm, and wonderful man who never seem to be bothered by anything. He liked everyone, and everyone liked him. He truly never had an unkind thing to say about anyone, and his goodness, attention, and love shone down on me like the sun. He was never one of those fathers who took care of everything, omnipotent. He was a decidedly human being, with faults and frailties, but all of those things only made him more lovable. He passed away in the wintertime, several years ago now, and I've been waiting since then to write him a book.
That said, the daddy in DADDY'S GIRL isn't much like my father. His name is "Big John" Greco, and he's a very take-charge sort of father. He doesn't express his love to his daughter quite as often as he should. But John Greco's love for his daughter goes as deep as my father's, and I wanted you to feel a little of that devotion when you read the novel. And if you do, stop and think about your own father. If you're lucky enough to still have him around, pick up the phone and say hi. Give him a big kiss and a hug. Forgive him the minor hurts, and even the major ones. Imagine the words that he would say to you, and say them to yourself. Understand when his faults hide the love that you know is in his heart.
Love abides, and a father's love lasts forever.
Love,
