Acknowledgements

Dear Mom, Dad, Debbie, and Bruce, You are NOTHING like the family members in this book. You are actually a million times better. Thank you.

Dear Doug Jones, You are always being a hero in ways large and small. You have literally saved lives.

Dear sweet Emily, You are the best kid ever. Thank you for being so brave and so cuddly and for always speaking out for others all the time, even when it’s hard.

Dear Rob Eaton and Shane Lowell, Both of you guys have rescued me when I needed rescuing. Thank you. I know you don’t think you are, but you are absolutely heroes.

Dear editors, Andrew Karre and Sandy Sullivan, You truly are heroes in the word world. Thank you for doing so much to make stories into books.

Dear Entire Flux Crew and especially Brian Farrey, Thank you for being so darn brilliant, and for working so hard to get this book out there. You make me proud to be a Fluxor.

Dear agent gurus, Edward Necarsulmer and Cate Martin, You guys are superheroes. I’ve said it before. I’ll keep saying it. Thank you for saving me from many free-falls.

Dear Tim Wynne-Jones, Sharon Darrow, Louise Hawes, and Ellen Howard, You all inspire and give every day. That’s what being a hero is about. Thank you for helping me with this book.

Dear Jackie Ganguly, Jennifer Osborn, Meloyde Shore, and Laura Hamor, Thank you all for being woman heroes. To Mary McGuire, Dottie Vachon, Doris Bunker Rzasa, Gayle Cambridge, and Alice Dow, Thank you for being awesome friends and for being mother-crusaders. And to the Whirligigs of Vermont College, the Schmoozers, the LJers and the PWs, You give me so much. I can never thank you enough. I love you.

Dear Will Rice, Bethany Reynolds, Phil Bailey, Dexter Bellows, Heather Martin-Zboray, Evelyn Foster, Kate Simmons, Hannah Pingree, Sean Faircloth, Howard Dene, Starr Gilmartin, Cliff Vaux, Don Radovich, and the rest of my campaign crew, Putting your faith in someone else is not only heroic, it is beyond brave. Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place. You all prove that politics isn’t just about power. It’s also about people, compassion, and caring.

Dear people who know how Lily feels, Thank you for surviving and thriving. You are all the biggest heroes of all. Thank you for being such great people. The world is better because of you.

Dear John Wayne, Thank you, too. The entire time I wrote this book I imagined you giving me that look …Wagons forward!