Thank you so much to Reiko Davis, who has always been the most supportive, encouraging agent a girl could ask for. And many thank-yous to Jessica MacLeish, my incredible editor. When I wanted to swing from portal fantasies to a book about a creature in the woods, you were both on board without any hesitation, and that meant so much.
Thank you also to everyone at HarperTeen for the work you put into making this book a reality. Special thanks to Erin Fitzsimmons, who designed the incredible cover, and Marie Bergeron, who created the amazing illustration. It exceeded all my hopes. And thank you to Tiffany Morris for your valued input and suggestions, and to Sarah Ratner for telling me the beginning of the book needed to be creepier—you were right!
The core of this book would not exist had my dad not spent a good part of my childhood terrifying me for fun; so thanks, Dad, for convincing me that lake monsters, yetis, and headless horsemen could be real, even if just for a little while. And thanks, Mom, for subsequently allowing me to sleep with a night-light for way longer than was probably appropriate.
Thank you to all my family and friends, old and new, for your support and encouragement—I’d be lost in the woods without you. I also want to thank the YA community in general, for lending support, being awesome, and helping me to learn and grow as both a writer and a human. I’m so glad this space exists, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
And thanks to Phil, as always, for everything.