Every book has a whole world of people behind it, and The Stars We Share is no different. And I am extremely fortunate to have had such a stellar bunch along for this ride.
First, I cannot say enough great things about my agent, Danielle Bukowski—your patience, generosity, and big-picture thinking contributed hugely to The Stars We Share before it was even fully formed, and I am enormously grateful for your commitment to and advocacy for the novel.
Thank you to my wonderful and dedicated team at Pamela Dorman Books and Viking, especially Pamela Dorman and my editor, Jeramie Orton, whose faith in this book has been greatly appreciated. I would be remiss if I didn’t express my deep gratitude to Brian Tart, Andrea Schulz, Kate Stark, Lindsay Prevette, Kate Hudkins, Sara Delozier, Roseanne Serra, Claire Vaccaro, Cassie Garruzzo, Carlynn Chironna, Fabi Van Arsdell, and everyone else who contributed to this project. Your enthusiasm, encouragement, and assistance have been invaluable. I’d also like to shout out my copy editor, Andrea Monagle, and her curiosity, wit, and extraordinary eye for detail.
My thanks also to my MFA faculty and classmates at the University of Baltimore, as well as my colleagues, past and present, in the UWP and the Second Chance Program at UB. I would additionally like to express my gratitude to the writers and book people who have helped me over the years; you are legion. Thank you to my family, particularly my much-missed dad, who loved airplanes and adventures, and told me an alarmingly long time ago that I too could write a book with secrets and spies in it.
Finally, I could not have written this book without the unflagging support and collie-ing of Paula Garner. Without you, this book and I would be a mess. Thank you for believing I could write a book like this, and for reading every draft of every chapter uncountable times and always finding ways to make the book better. Thank you for the billions of hours you spent listening to me go on about Alec and June and all their things, and for what you said that sparked it all in the first place. Thank you for understanding when I wanted to go write more dogs and bears instead of people, and for knowing what I was trying to do even when I sometimes didn’t. Thank you for not ever letting me get away with coasting, and for not ever blowing smoke. Thank you for cookies. Thank you very much indeed for all the everything—so many things and places and fish would not have happened without you, and I am more grateful than I know how to say.