A wise person once said that it takes a village to bring a book to life. And although that is certainly true, in the case of this particular book, it took a league. Not, as it were, a League of Shadows, but a league of wonderful and talented individuals whose selfless dedication to their craft has left me in awe.
What follows is my feeble attempt at a thank you.
To my editor and fairy godmother, Fiona Simpson, whose wit and boundless enthusiasm have made this entire process one I will forever cherish. You’ve not only made me feel welcome at Simon & Schuster, but you’ve also made me feel like family. How can I ever thank you enough for falling in love with Charlie and Violet and taking a chance on me? (HINT: I can’t!) To my agent and fellow 305er, Rena Rossner—I have no idea how you find the time to do all the amazing things you do, but I am so grateful to have you in my corner. To my wonderful publisher, Mara Anastas, and to the incredible Aladdin team, Caitlin Sweeny, Sara Berko, Anna Jarzab, Alissa Nigro, Amy Hendricks, and Christian Vega—I can’t thank all of you enough for your belief and support! To my copy editor, Penina Lopez, whose razor-sharp eyes could no doubt split a muki’s hair, and to my production editor, the incomparable Elizabeth Mims, who has improved this book in two different languages—many thanks y muchas, muchas gracias! To Manuel Sumberac, my insanely talented cover artist, and to the creative powerhouse duo of Karin Paprocki, art director, and Hilary Zarycky, interior designer, who came together to create the most visually stunning book these two eyes have ever beheld—you three have truly surpassed my wildest imaginations! To my tireless publicist, Vanessa DeJesus—thank you so much for having my back. Hopefully one day we’ll get to hang out at La Calaca and have some of those BBQ cauliflower nuggets you came up with!
Of course, these acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without a huge, misty-eyed thank you to all my family and friends. ¡Los amo a todos! Special shout-out to my cousin and all around e-ninja Alex (aka Dro, aka ShiningOutlaw), who has gifted me more electronics than I can count, including the Mac on which I’m currently typing this. Love you, cuz! Also, to my cousin Big Al, aka Don Alberto Corleone, aka Barbarossa, who’s one of the coolest cats on the planet. ¡Mucho amor, primo! And I certainly can’t leave out the two best primas ever, not to mention two of the fiercest hide-and-seek players I’ve ever had the privilege of running around my neighborhood with, Lauren and Alexandra! Or my favorite tía (you know who you are)!
I’d also like to give a great big Lone Star State–size thank-you to the Texas Book Festival and the Tweens Read Festival, two can’t-miss events for any book lover! Seriously, don’t miss these!
I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t also offer a very, very special thanks to all the teachers and librarians out there. You all are the backbone of civilization. The world can never thank you enough. (Or pay you enough, but that’s a different topic.)
And lastly, but by no means least, a great big thank-you to you, wonderful reader—where would any of us be if it weren’t for you?