Writing a book requires assistance and support from so many people, but this one in particular took an army of experts. A heartfelt gracias to Marcelo Contreras and Cara Strauss Contreras for lending us not only their names but their linguistic and cultural expertise. Their incredibly generous help in bringing Marisol’s branch of the family to life was irreplaceable, as was their assistance with navigating the nuances of Bolivian Spanish. To those Spanish-speaking readers who might wonder why a turn of phrase seems unfamiliar, the colloquial variations found in Bolivian Spanish are the answer.
Thank you to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre for assistance with and permission to use palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines, as we added Oz the kaparunina to the World Between Blinks.
Our other experts included Soraya Een Hajji, P. M. Freestone, and Yulin Zhuang—to these generous friends as well as others not named here, many, many thanks. To our friends who offered early critique, Megan Shepherd and Shannon Messenger, thank you! Any errors that remain, despite the best efforts of our advisers and readers, are of course our own.
We are so grateful both to and for our amazing editor, Andrew Eliopulos. Your enthusiasm for the world we created has been unflagging. Your insightful and nuanced questions helped us gently draw out the best in this book and in the journey of holding on and letting go that Jake and Marisol take together. We are so grateful as well to Bria Ragin for her smarts, support, and editorial feedback; to Rosemary Brosnan for her leadership; to Jill Amack for patient and thoughtful fact-checking and copy editing (and for laughing at our jokes); to Kevin Keele for our gorgeous cover art and Cat San Juan for our cover design; to Jon Howard, our managing editor; to Robby Imfeld and his team in marketing and Andrea Pappenheimer and her team in sales. To Suzanne Murphy and Jean McGinley, thank you for making us a part of the family. We could go on forever with the Harper thank-yous—to the teams in sales, marketing, production, design, publicity, and more, we appreciate everything you do for us so very much. Many, many thanks also to the wonderful team at Harper Oz. We’d be . . . lost without you.
This book began when our wonderful literary agent, Tracey Adams, told us about an island that had appeared overnight, the result of sand bars shifting with the tides. Soon it would be lost again, but just for a moment a new place full of driftwood and sharks’ teeth was there to explore. The idea of a lost place, a place that you could only see sometimes, took hold, and several months later we surprised her with a manuscript. Tracey—you are endlessly patient, good-humored, and supportive, and we love working with you. We’re so grateful to have you, Josh, Cathy, and Stephen on our side!
From Ryan, personal thanks to Kate Armstrong, Corrie Wang, Roshani Chokshi, Megan Shepherd, Laini Taylor (who had many encouraging things to say after she heard us brainstorming this book in the castle kitchen), and the rest of the château crew: Jim Di Bartolo, Katherine Webber, Alywn Hamilton, Laure Eve. The Strauss family. The Graudin family. Raiden. David and Sabriel—all of my love, always. Soli Deo Gloria.
From Amie, personal thanks to Meg Spooner, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu, Leigh Bardugo, Michelle Dennis, Kacey Smith, Nic Crowhurst, Soraya Een Hajji, P. M. Freestone, Kate Irving, Lili Wilkinson, Nic Hayes, Ellie Marney, Liz Barr, Eliza Tiernan, Kate Armstrong, the Roti Boti gang, and my Aussie retreat crew. The Kaufman family. The Cousins family. Jack. Brendan and Pip—I would brave anything to find you.
From both of us, undying thanks to the readers, reviewers, librarians, teachers, and booksellers who share our stories with the world. You changed our lives first as readers, and now as authors.
And finally . . . thank you, for picking up this book and journeying to the World Between Blinks with us. We’ll see you in the sequel!