To my kid, Roxy. I’ve never wanted anything more than I wanted you. You’re the proof that dreams come true. You get your dad back now.
My brother, Richard. When dad died, I stepped back but you stepped up. You filled his space. I love you and I appreciate you. I can’t thank you enough.
To my mom, Diana Vivian Lee, who I didn’t tell I was even doing this until after we went to print. I’m sorry I disappeared for two years, but I hope it was worth it. There’s a lot of you in here, a story I know you were hoping to one day be able to tell yourself. I tried my best to get it all right. Thank you for raising us in a house full of love. And to your husband, Kevin Lee, I love the way you look at my mom. Please don’t ever stop.
Carl Swanson. A great dad, and a great friend. You get your own chapter in the next one. Promise.
Rick Broadhead. My agent, my Ambassador of Quan. Thank you for the trust and hustle. You’re the reason this happened.
Alice Kuipers. Thank you for being a brilliant writer, partner, editor, and vault. Thank you for pulling this story out of me, listening to me cry, and never judging. I cried a shit ton. You were the first person to ever call me an author and never once made me feel like I didn’t belong in “book world.”
To the authors. All of you. To every single person who has sat down to do just this. The self-published, the big-contract writers, and the dreamers who are still hammering out their story one word, scar, and secret at a time. This is for you. Every book you’ve ever read, even the bad ones, has been somebody else’s entire world for at least a couple years. Often more, and sometimes a lifetime. And for nothing. When you’re done with this one, do me a favour and leave it on the seat of a bus or the counter of a gas station bathroom. People love finding cool shit, and books are expensive. I leaned on a few authors at the very beginning of all this—John Meyer, Jonathan Scott, Lainey Lui, Scott McGillivray, and Ziya Tong. Thank you for answering my rookie questions and reminding me just how fucking hard this was going to be.
Thank you to anyone who has ever shared even a minute of your time with me on the radio, TV, podcast or wherever. There’s no fair way to single out just one person, but fuck it, I will anyway. Andrew Hill. Your strength, courage, laugh, and big-ass smile deserve to be recognized. The day we met I realized why I do this, and who I do it for. I do it for you. You’re my motivation on the days when I have nothing left.
Amy Black, Tim Rostron, and everyone at Doubleday Canada. When shit goes sideways, these are the people you want on your team. Thank you for the freedom and for believing in me.
Dad. We’re all doing great and love each other lots. Farts are still funny and I miss you every day.