The physical act of writing of a book is a solitary task, but so many have left their mark on these pages.
First and foremost, I thank God for blessing me with a love of writing and for creating me with a boundless imagination.
I'm forever grateful to my parents and sisters—My dad for his sacrifices while serving in the U.S. Army for thirty-five years at the time of publication. Dad, you instilled in me a sense patriotism, duty, and appreciation for this beautiful country I'm thankful to call home. Thank you.
My mom for serving on the homefront with four rambunctious daughters. Thank you for your boundless love and patience. I have learned so much of quiet strength and resilience from you.
My sisters, Maddie, Becky, and Sarah. You were the victims (and supporters) of my early writings despite its many flaws. I love you all.
And my husband and children—Jeff, I am forever changed by your love and support--and so is this book! Thank you for being my sounding board, for editing with me late into the night at the kitchen table, despite being sleep-deprived from our sleepless babies. Without you, I wouldn't know about orbital assists or SpaceX. "Ship-shat" would also still be in this book (thank goodness it's not!).
To my above mentioned sleepless littles, Eloise and Wilder. You two are forever teaching me the importance of flexibility, the boundlessness of love, and how to find the fantastical in the little moments.
This book would not exist in this gorgeous binding if it were not for my amazing publishing team. Endless thanks to my champion of an agent, Becky, and the hard-working team at Owl Hollow Press, Emma, Hannah, and Olivia. I can't wait for book two!
And finally, thank you, reader, for taking a chance on this book. I hope you found new friends in the flawed yet lovable characters you met in these pages.