My name might be on the cover, but there are a great number of people who have contributed to the creation of this book. I owe huge thanks to my family, especially my husband, Andy, my son, Max, and my mother, Jaci, for putting up with my crazy hours and my desperate need for caffeine and popcorn, and for always telling me I’m going to get to THE END on the days when I’m convinced it will never happen. I love you!
This story would also certainly never have existed if it weren’t for the fantastic vision and enthusiasm of the HarperCollins team and editor extraordinaire, Kristen Pettit. Kristen—thank you for letting me take this story on unexpected twists and turns and for trusting that when I jumped off the cliff it would all turn out okay. Also, a big shout-out to Elizabeth Lynch for her fabulous patience and humor, and to Jennifer Klonsky for her encouragement. Deep gratitude goes to Emily Rader and Martha Schwartz for making me look like I know what I’m doing; and join me in giving thunderous applause to the incredible artists Toby & Pete (I can’t draw a stick figure!) and designer Jenna Stempel for the best cover ever. (Feel free to stop reading so you can admire their work again. It’s amazing!) And to the entire PR, marketing, and Epic Reads teams—you guys rock!
And they don’t make enough Peanut Butter Twix for me to appropriately demonstrate my gratitude to the amazing Stacia Decker. You are not just my literary agent, you are my sounding board, my biggest cheerleader, and the one who keeps me sane at two o’clock in the morning when I’m desperately trying to make all the pieces of the story fall into place. Thank you for taking a risk on me years ago and for being there every step of the way. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next.
Also, a huge bouquet of thanks to all the booksellers, librarians, and teachers who work tirelessly to put the stories young readers need into their hands. The work you do is so important. You aren’t simply creating readers, you are opening up new worlds and changing lives.
And last, but most importantly, I want to say how grateful I am to the readers who have spent hours with me and my characters. A book is like a duet. It requires two—the author and the reader—to bring the story to life. Thank you all for turning the pages and for making the stories sing.