Acknowledgments

This book was written on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. Sovereignty was never ceded. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

I am an uninvited guest on these lands and waters. The homes I have lived in have been on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people. I grew up in the Dandenong Ranges and you can take a cultural tour to learn more about the area, see wurundjericulturaltours.com.au.

A lot of people go into the writing of a book. Since releasing my first YA, Ida, I have been welcomed into the #loveozya community. A huge thanks goes to Sarah and Alex for having Ida as their first book of the month for The YA Room, and thanks to Sarah, Shaun and Bianca for their ongoing support.

To any teen who has come up to me after an event to thank me, or to get a book signed, I remember all of you. And to the ones who quietly read, who I will never meet, thank you. It is an honour to write for you all, and I cannot express how much it means to me to hear that my books have helped you. It is a privilege to write for you. Thank you thank you thank you.

YA authors are very kind people, and I would like to thank Lili Wilkinson, Cally Black, Marlee Jane Ward, Nicole Hayes, Jodi McAlister, Katya de Becerra, Amie Kaufmann, Leanne Hall, Jes Layton, Jordi Kerr, Jess Walton, Rafeif Ismail, Alec Te Pohe, Carolyn Gilpin, Erin Gough, Michael Earp and Michael Pryor in particular. And while they are not necessarily YA authors, I would like to thank Katherine Back, Rae White, Benjamin Law, Amelia Lush and Gene Smith. Everyone on this list is inspiring, thank you for your dedication. You’ve taught me a lot. Thank you for the friendship, the kindness, and the help. Even if we have only spoken a handful of times, or rarely see each other, you’re appreciated.

Two books showed me that I could write a book like this one; Night Swimming by Steph Bowe and Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near. Thank you both for writing these beautiful books.

I would like to thank Nevo Zisin in particular – I am so glad we found each other. Your friendship means so much and has healed me in a way I didn’t know I needed to be healed. Working with you, writing stories and being on panels together has been the highlight of my career, and I’m truly grateful we are friends.

Thank you to the bookstagrammers, the reviewers, the bloggers, and the vloggers of the YA community. You all put in so much work. The community is strong because of you.

“Dear Reader” is a direct influence of my Queerstories speech “World School” from July 2018, which I wrote while writing the beginnings of Euphoria Kids. Thank you to Maeve Marsden for asking me to be a part of the event, it helped me articulate a lot of what I want to do with my work.

To my mum, my brother, my Nanna and Grumps, and all the hundreds of other Evanses, thank you for being a wonderful, kind, thriving family. I am very lucky to be with you all.

Thank you to Joni, my fiancee and soon-to-be wife. Thank you for being my first reader, for your edits, ideas, questions, and answers.

The Echo team – I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Liz, thank you for the first edit of Euphoria Kids that helped me find the real starting point. Although we rarely see each other, thank you to Benny and Sandy, for all your work behind the scenes that I don’t see, but I know you work so hard. Thanks Brendan for your email updates and excellent highlighting system, having you in my corner is amazing and I feel so lucky. Thank you to Shaun for making my words look beautiful again, and for hanging out with me at other Echo book launches. Thank you to Jo Hunt for another amazing cover design, and thank you to Jem Bradbrook for the illustration that is more wonderful than I could have dreamed. And Kate, where would this story be without you. Thank you for all your advice and gentle but firm direction, and for staying up with me until the wee hours of the morning.

And finally, thank you to Angela Meyer, who by the time this book is released, will be on a new journey. You have been a wonderful editor, publisher and friend. This book would not be here if it weren’t for you. You have continually made a safe space for me to make art and I have adored working with you. Thank you for believing in me and my work, thank you for your endless support, and thank you for helping me grow as a person and a writer. I can’t wait to see what you do next.