So many amazing people helped make Eddie Red possible. First, a huge thanks to my ninja agent Kristin Nelson, for taking a chance on me and helping me become a better writer. Thanks also to Anita Mumm for pulling Eddie from the slush pile, and to the rest of the hard-working Nelson Literary Agency. To Ann Rider, my über-awesome editor whose kind and thoughtful approach has soothed my nerves in this wonderfully crazy process. Thank you! Thanks to Scott Magoon, Alison Kerr Miller, Mary Huot, Rachel Wasdyke, and the talented people of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. And thank you, Marcos Calo, for helping Eddie come to life in your wonderful illustrations.
Thanks to the hysterically funny kids and faculty of the Gailer School, who inspired me and made me laugh every day. An extra-big thanks to Mary Lower for the drawing lessons, Diane Guertin for the chess lessons, and Galen Fastie for being a patient reader.
A huge thanks to my readers: Drew Whitney, Beth Charles, Kimberly Jones, and my sisters Laura Wells and Autumn Williams—you’re the best!
Thank you to my friends and family for their love and support. A special shout-out to the Wells and the Elkins families for their vast and enthusiastic knowledge of New York City, to my mom, Jeanne Williams, for her endless generosity, and to my husband, Ben, and my two kids for putting up with me and microwave dinners. Thank you for keeping me grounded and silly.
And to you, my reader. Thank you.