Sometimes characters jump in front of you, grabbing you by the shoulders and begging you to tell their story. That’s what Juniper Jade did to me. I’m so thankful for everyone who helped me bring her words to the page.
To Joy Peskin, my brilliant editor. Thank you for having faith that we would find our next story and for sticking by me and cheering me on through the ups and downs of the journey. Your steadfast support means more to me than you could ever know, and it’s truly an honor to work with you.
To Kate Testerman, my equally brilliant agent. Thank you for always believing in me and for being tirelessly optimistic throughout every step of the publishing process. I am forever grateful to you and so honored to be part of the KT Literary family.
To Aurora Parlagreco, the talented designer of the wonderful cover of A Shot at Normal. Thank you for perfectly capturing so much of Juniper’s story. To Elizabeth Lee, thank you for being extraordinarily patient, kind, and reassuring during edits. And to the entire team at Macmillan/FSG, thank you for your endless support of my books and me. I’m a very lucky author.
To Elise Robins and Stacy Wise, my first readers. Thank you for finding what needed to be fixed and loving what worked. This book is better because of you.
To Jeff Zentner, the person I definitely needed on the other end of a panicked email one afternoon. Thank you for your valuable insight into some of the legal bits of Juniper’s story and for your continued support over the years.
To the incredible community of young adult authors, especially Marci Lyn Curtis, Shea Ernshaw, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Jeff Garvin, Kerry Kletter, Shannon Parker, Amber Smith, Amy Spalding, Kali Wallace, and Darcy Woods: thank you for supporting and inspiring me. To the passionate YA book bloggers and librarians and booksellers, thank you for the amazing work you do and for sharing my books with readers. And to the best cheering section ever, Carol Adler, Elise Adler, Brooke Barnum, Lori Carter, Louisa Cushman, Laura DePetra, Jenny Fix, Brooke Hodess, Julie Laing, Gus Mastrapa, Kat Monk, Jenny Moore, Lisa Pak, Carli Parker, Gwynn Parker, Michelle Phillips, Missy Robertson, Mike Shore, Amy Slack, Molly Sampson (an extra hug to you for walking me through some of the legal parts of Juniper’s story), Geri Shapiro, Melody Stanger, Dina Stern, Mariano Svidler, Jane Tate, Aliza Zarcoff, and Stacey Zarcoff, thank you so much!
To my mom, my biggest fan, thank you for always being excited about every little thing. You remind me to celebrate it all, too. And to my brother, Michael, thank you for being almost as excited as Mom.
And lastly, to Jon and Kai. You two are my everything, and I couldn’t pursue this writing dream without your patience and support. Thank you. I love you forever and ever. And ever.