Lucia in Love:
Dedicated with love to my own Italian in-laws:
The Pozzesseres...
The Antinerellas; Auntie Chris and Genie; Auntie Virginia;
the Ostrouts (all of them); Angie and Al (Nana and Papa
Pozzessere); the Crosbies, Auntie Alice and Uncle Buppie,
Ginger, Linda, Mary and all; Auntie Tina, with lots of love;
Helen, Mary Anne, and Frankie Pozzessere and the kids in
Worcester; Auntie May and the Dursos; Uncle Willie and
Auntie Peggy and Debbie, Donna, and Diane. In memory of
Tony and Armand. To all of the cousins and second cousins,
and very especially, Jimmy and Gail—I cannot imagine life
without you both, you are so very special.
The Meros...
Uncle Frank and Auntie Grace upstairs (Astrella),
Auntie Grace and Uncle Frank downstairs (Mero).
Uncle Johnny and Auntie Joan Mero, Uncle Sal and
Auntie Ida Mangiulli. To Auntie Dee and
Uncle George Law, who adopted all six of us so lovingly.
And to the cousins and their families, all of them,
Joyce and Janet, Davey and Francis, Raymond and Paul,
and to Bobby and Helen and the baby, Eileen and Eddie and
Dennis and David, to Kenny and Doreen, and to Kim, and
Brent, and very especially Donna and Richard Astrella,
because I know that Richard will keep a copy
at the Orange Savings Bank.

And to my own little Pozzesseres, with all my heart;
Jason, Shayne, Derek and Bryee-Annon,
and to their father, Dennis, with all my love.

Thank you all for the laughter and the love.
Nobody does it better!

Lion on the Prowl:
To Tara Gavin,
who was kind enough to trust me with this project;
and to my own lovable, loyal, generous,
gorgeous, maddening Leo—my husband, Mike.