First and foremost, I have to thank and give all praise and glory to God, Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the angels and Saints, without whom I wouldn’t be here today.
Thank you to my amazing family—Dad (John), Mom (Meg), Katie, Patrick, Michael S., Danny, John, Maggie, Michael K., and Mittens—for always being there for me and making me who I am today. I love you all!
Special shout-out to my parents, who allowed me to dream and who have supported me through everything. To my dad for always supporting me and for inspiring me to travel the world, and to my mom for reading me so many fairy tales when I was a child. I wouldn’t have the imagination I do without you. SWAK!
To my wonderful, loving, amazing sister, Katie, who gets her own separate paragraph for reading every single draft, for brainstorming with me, and for all those nights she stayed up super late to read. You’re always my first reader, and I know I can always count on you to tell it like it is . . . and to find my silly mistakes.
Also, thanks to my extended family for your support! And to my niece and nephews for keeping me young. Your EE loves you!
Thank you to my agent extraordinaire, Christa Heschke. You took a chance on me, and I can’t wait for our journey to continue together! I love your editorial eye and all you do to make my stories shine.
To my AMAZING editor, Jillian Manning. This book wouldn’t be what it is without you. Your insights and ideas brought new life to it, and I’m so happy that I got to work with you.
To everyone at Blink—Hannah VanVels (thanks for your great and entertaining comments!), Jacque Alberta (what would I do without your eagle eyes???), Ron Huizinga, Marcus Drenth, Annette Bourland, and Sara Merritt. Your team made publishing my book such a seamless process.
To my amazing critique partner, Liz Osisek, who read countless drafts and other materials every hour of the day when I needed her to. I couldn’t have done this without you and your insights. You dropped everything to help me, and I can’t wait to do the same for you. I owe you more ice cream than you could ever eat.
Also, thank you to fellow writers and authors Jessica Fair-Owens and Triona Murphy for reading early drafts. You girls rock! Also to amazing fellow authors John Green, Dee Romito, Brenda Drake, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Emily R. King, Wendy Higgens, Ashley Poston, Elly Blake, Summer Heacock, Sarah Cannon, and Sarah Schmitt, who shared wisdom, advice, and friendship with me. Also to Jean Heck, Gavin Cahill, Gail Werner, Rebekah Snyder, Cathy Shouse, Whitney Eklof, Ashley Hearn, Bethany Robison, and Carla Luna Cullen for sharing their advice and friendship over the years.
To everyone (professors, faculty, and fellow students) at the Butler University MFA in Creative Writing program who helped me shape this novel into what it is today. I couldn’t have done this without such a great program that encourages writers in every genre. Special shout-outs to my thesis advisors Michael Dahlie and Allison Lynn, who helped me see the potential in this novel early on. You both encouraged me, and I count myself lucky that you found your way to Butler.
To all those who prayed for me, especially my CRHP sisters, Father Jim, and Father Hunter!
To “the wind beneath my wings:” Ashley Zurcher, Laura Goldsberry, Jennifer Goldsmith, Clint Lahnen, and Tara Trubela. We make a great team! Also, please pay special attention to my use of the Oxford comma. Remember to use it wherever you go. Also to Paul Chen (@of_Mice_andChen), Eric Hurst, and Rachel Asuras. Thank you all for your help along the way!
To everyone at the Midwest Writers Workshop, but especially to Jama Bigger, for offering such an encouraging atmosphere to learn about writing and publishing. My book wouldn’t be out in the world without your help! Thank you for all you do to help writers start and improve their careers.
To my friends who put up with me even when I was hermit while I revised the novel: Carolyn Johnson, Anna Vorsilak, Amy Dreischerf, Rose Jindal, Vinaya Bhatia, Brynn Hollingsworth, Emily Gorrell, Julia Stern and Nikki Mousdicas.
Un abrazo para mi familia en España—Sonia, Alfredo, Paula, y Carla.
To Brett Jonas, Julia Byers, and the rest of the #Ch1Con team for being awesome people and writers. Also, thanks for the great headshot, Julia.
To my teachers at St. Pius X, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, and Indiana University, but especially to Mrs. Taber, Mrs. Desautels, and Ms. Haffley, who made a difference in my life.
To everyone who liked my author page, shared my blog, or helped in some other way, you have no idea how much I appreciate it and how much you helped me achieve this dream.
And finally, to you, my dear readers—thank you! This book wouldn’t exist without you, and I can’t wait to share more of Kora’s story with you. Always remember you’re worth more than gold!