Thank you to Joy McCullough-Carranza, my mentor in the 2015 Pitch Wars contest, for your keen editorial eye, for nurturing me at all levels of development, and for believing no question I asked was too small or too stupid. Thank you to Pitch Wars mentors Rebecca Wells, Jessica Vitalis, and Brooks Benjamin for feedback, support, and confidence boosts. Thank you to Brenda Drake and her team of dedicated mentors for making dreams possible.
Thank you to Brent Taylor, my agent, for endless encouragement, unwavering faith, and our shared commitment to the message behind the book—you believe in Alan just as much as I do. Thank you to Uwe Stender for being a huge advocate for me and my work.
Thank you to Ben Rosenthal, my editor at Katherine Tegen Books, for excellent editorial feedback and for welcoming my input at all levels. Thank you to Julia Kuo for a brilliant and evocative cover. Thank you to Mabel Hsu and the rest of the staff at HarperCollins for all your tireless work on the book and for inviting me to peer behind the mystical curtain of publishing. Thank you to Katherine Tegen for trusting in Alan and trusting in me.
Thank you to the Bux-Mont Critique Group—Wendy Greenley, Tamara C. Gureghian, Jean Ladden, Joanne Alburger, Debbie Dadey, and Melissa McDaniel—for helping shape the manuscript from its earliest stages with honest critiquing and warm encouragement.
Thank you to Rachel Kobin for helping me get on my feet, both professionally and personally, and for inspiring me to reclaim my authorial voice. Thank you to my friends and fellow writers at the Philadelphia Writers Workshop for helping me grow in my journey as a writer. Thank you to Michael Lynch for inspiring the title of this book.
Thank you to the Barn Raisers—Connie Morby, Kristen Strocchia, Lilace Guignard, and Marcia Gregorio—for insightful feedback and for helping the earliest versions of Alan, Zack, and Madison take shape.
Thank you to my beta readers and trusted writing buddies: Stephen Kittel, Parag S. Gohel, Louis R. Artfich, Eric Jenkins, and Solim and Glenn Chung.
Thank you to my trusted sources of inspiration who helped me with ideas: David Labe, Alan Huan Chang, Brett Finnicum, Andreana Lau, Rafael A. Mora Moreu, Jessica Choi, Margie Hammett, Richie George, Summer Heacock, and Jennifer Norman.
And thank you for inviting me—and Alan—into your world. My world is a little bit brighter every time someone reads my book, and I can only hope yours brightens every time you read it too.