CHASING BEFORE owes its existence to the support of a great many talented people. My eternal gratitude:
To my agent, Stephen Barbara, and the team at Foundry. Sorry for all the panicked e-mails and health scares I put you through this past year.
To my editor Christian Trimmer, for adopting me and the novel halfway through the process and raising the stakes in such brilliant ways. To my editor Alexandra Cooper, who shared my vision for the Memory Chronicles from the beginning and whose insight helped shape early drafts. And to Catherine Laudone, for the brainstorming session that led to some major breakthroughs.
To the entire Simon & Schuster team, especially Lizzy Bromley, Venessa Carson, Justin Chanda, Bernadette Cruz, Michelle Fadlalla, Katy Hershberger, Bara MacNeill, Anna McKean, Jenica Nasworthy, Chrissy Noh, Anthony Parisi, and Angela Zurlo. To the team at Usborne in the UK (Amy Dobson, Rebecca Hill, and Becky Walker). To the team at Listening Library (Jenna Lamia, Fred Sanders, Janet Stark, and Rebecca Waugh), for the amazing audiobook production. And to my other foreign publishers for expanding the book’s audience.
To Ann Bonwill (always my first and most enthusiastic reader), Nicole Bonia, Jenny Bragdon, (the brutally honest) Christina Franke, Kelly Jensen, and Lydia Kang, for providing feedback and much needed virtual cupcakes. And to Heather Anastasiu, for so generously beta reading into the wee hours during a tough deadline.
To my author support system: SCBWI Germany/Austria, the Apocalypsies, the Lucky 13s, and the League of Extraordinary Writers. And especially to those who went above and beyond while I was touring: Emily Hainsworth, Antony John, Lauren Morrill, Lauren Oliver, Lissa Price, Beth Revis, Megan Shepard, and Tamara Ireland Stone.
To friends, family, and readers all over the world. Shout-outs to Jamie Bennett, April Conant, Mitali Dave, Linda Joplin, Allison Lamphere, Candace Levy, Karin Perry, Tirzah Price, Beth Shaum, and Melody Simpson, for so fervently spreading the word.
To the indie bookstores that hosted me on tour: Watermark Books in Wichita, Kansas; Mysteryscape in Overland Park, Kansas; Books, Inc. in San Francisco; Malaprops in Asheville, North Carolina; Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia; Hooray for Books in Alexandria, Virginia; Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia; Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston; Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois; Left Bank Books in Saint Louis; Fundamentals Bookstore in Delaware, Ohio; and Books of Wonder in New York City.
To the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Buergerhospital in Frankfurt, Germany, for saving my life (two days after my revisions were due!) and treating me so well during my hospital stays.
And finally, to my husband, Daniel, who understands and accepts that my creative process is best fueled by naps, showers, chocolate, extensive music playlists, and long walks in the park, and who enables me to continue doing what I love every day.