We are grateful to the superhero team of agents who assembled to represent this project: Laura Dail, Barry Goldblatt, and Elizabeth Kaplan. Also, to our editors at other publishing houses who supported our suddenly insane writing and publishing schedules. Huge thanks to Farrin Jacobs, who has edited and advocated for us, fed us Indian food, read our gazillion e-mails, and generally dealt with the fact that three authors are more neurotic than one; as well as the rest of the folks at Harper Collins: Elise Howard, Cristina Gilbert, Colleen O’Connell, Dina Sherman, Sandee Roston, Melissa Dittmar, Jackie Greenberg, Kari Sutherland, Naomi Rothwell, Melinda Weigel, Crystal Velasquez, Anne Heausler, Dave Caplan, Sasha Illingworth, and Jen Heuer. Also thanks to Tamar Ellman and all our friends in foreign places.
Novelist Kristin Harmel took us to Epcot, filmed our hot tub adventures, and put us up in Orlando with great style and grace—plus muffins. Amber Draus was our Epcot guide extraordinaire. The helpful folks at Gatorland in Florida answered our questions and let us in free because it was research. Our gratitude to the people behind the Roadside America website and the book of the same title, which inspired and informed our story. The information on the Coral Castle and the World’s Smallest Police Station is accurate to the best of our knowledge; likewise the descriptions of the other sites in Vicks’s fictional Fantastical Florida—though Xanadu is now closed. We did relocate Old Joe Gator and added on an extra four feet to him for dramatic purposes. He actually resides in the lobby of the Wakulla Springs Hotel, where he has been known to wear a party hat on New Year’s Eve. Oh, and we invented the pirate hotel.
David Levithan and Rachel Cohn inspired this project with their wonderful collaboration Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, as did Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer with their book Sorcery and Cecelia, with its fascinating note about their working process.
John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Scott Wester-feld kept Emily company during writing, and John answered all questions on college football–related issues. Leslie Margolis, Bennett Madison, and Alison Pace hung out and wrote with Sarah. Amber Kelley and Julia Meier took care of Lauren’s kids—huge! (the help, not the kids)—and the ever-friendly Starbucks morning crew kept her hopped up on caffeine and sugar.
Thanks to the FOZ (Friends of Zoe) for helping us with the title: Terry, Samantha, Maia, Lucy, Jeanmarie, Rachel, Katherine, and Roni. And of course, Zoe Jenkin for administrating.
Thanks to our friends and family, always: Elissa and Robert Ambrose, Larry Mlynowski, Louisa Weiss, Aviva Mlynowski, John and Vickie Swidler, Robin Glube, Shobie Farb, Jess Davidman, Bonnie Altro, Johanna Jenkins, Len and Ramona Jenkin, Sarah Burnett, Jackie Owens, Laura Pritchett, Don and Sarah Lee Myracle, Eden Myracle, Mary Ellen Evangelista, Tim White, Jim White, Eric Myracle, Susan White, Ruth and Tim White, and of course Ivy, Al, Jamie, and Mirabelle.
Special thanks to Elissa Ambrose and Ruth White for being such badass first readers; and to Chani Sanchez, Jess Braun, Leslie Margolis, and Lynda Curnyn for their terrific insights.
A thousand thank-yous to our super-supportive and always-loving spouses: Daniel Aukin, Jack Martin, and Todd Swidler. You guys rock.