Writing’s a solo sport, but publishing demands a team. Huge thanks to Jackson Keeler, who didn’t just sell this book but greatly improved the story. My editor Dana Isaacson—a.k.a. “Good Dana”—made my prose sound way smarter. Everyone involved at Blackstone—including Daniel Ehrenhaft, Josie Woodbridge, and Michael Krohn—deserves a massive and heartfelt thank-you. As for the cover—thank you to Larissa Ezell.
Industry people who’ve generously helped and inspired me include Amy Tipton, Sharon Bowers, and Deborah Goodrich-Royce.
Closer to home, huge thanks go to my longtime friend and writing mentor A. D. Scott, head honcho early reader. Another early reader who gave insightful feedback is P. J. Peraza, randomly found online, proving you don’t only find crazies on the internet. All the friends—especially you, Saeko Ando—and fellow writers who’ve supported me both IRL and online have my enduring gratitude, with a special nod to my crew on Instagram. (Look me up at elka.ray and say hi.)
This book was inspired by two of my best childhood friends, Dr. CK and Dr. Jessica Ringrose, both incredible, successful women I’m proud to call friends.
There’s no way I’d have managed to survive and write without the support of my patient, ever-optimistic, and hilarious husband, Thien Nguyen. And I would not be a writer at all were it not for my brilliant and adventurous parents, Gisela and Dr. Gerry Ray, who always found money for books and travel—even if it meant we only had stacked books to sit on. Finally, thanks to my grade twelve English literature teacher, Lana Simpson, who convinced me that studying arts wasn’t definitive proof that I was too dumb to study science.