All the thank-yous to Emily Settle. I don’t even know where to start. Thank you for believing in me and my writing. Thank you for giving me a chance. Thank you for loving my book and the characters and their story. You have made me a better writer, and I will be eternally grateful. This has been a long journey, but there is no one else I would have wanted by my side.
Jean Feiwel, Lauren Scobell, Kat Brzozowski, and everyone else on the Swoon Reads team. You are all amazing! Thanks to the Swoon Reads community and to everyone who read and commented on my book. A special thank-you to Sean McMurray for beta reading MMIOS when it was in its roughest form and still giving it a thumbs-up, and Moriah Chavis for cheering me on unwaveringly, being my sounding board, and slyly incorporating yourself into my family. You have both been a blessing.
To my reading crew:
Michele Heintz. This book would not have been possible without you.… I mean it—don’t roll your eyes! You gave Hudson words that I never could have given him. La vache times a thousand. Rendez-vous: au Cosmos, shall we? Devon Carroll, for reading this book so, so many times. For editing even when I asked you not to. For being my sounding board over and over. For celery stalking and gray barrettes and “I heard spaghetti and meatballs.” Lori McCabe. My biggest fan. My number one cheerleader. The only person who has already cleared an entire bookshelf in anticipation of all my future publications.
To my supportive friends:
Thank you to Katie Martel for the German that made Edie swoon and for letting me borrow your name, which you borrowed from Granny. Even though I didn’t get a chance to ask her, I’m sure she’d have approved. Twenty-two years and counting. Big love, friend. Julie Bartolotta, I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you keeping me sane and talking me through everything, yb. Kate Lloyd. Hi. Love you. Steve Johnson for lending me your name. Amanda Jones for being my rock. Karole Cozzo, my Big Sis, you have been a godsend, truly. Thank you for answering all my questions, squashing my anxieties, sending me care packages I didn’t even realize I needed, and reminding me that we are all in this together. Writing can feel isolating, but you have shown me that it doesn’t have to be. I give you all the hearts times a million.
To Sarah Kurland, Jessica Sbiroli, and Megan Mahaney for giving me insight into your experience with having a disability in college.
To my crew at Sitrin: Debbie, Doreen, Brenda, Mayme, Dorothy, and Annie. I love you all dearly for so many reasons. Thank you for your support, all your questions, and all your excitement about my future book signings. Yes, Dorothy, you can certainly be at the front of the line.
To Cheyenne Lyn Foll, for spending so much time looking at my face. You’re a saint for putting up with me.
To my awesome family:
Thank you to Jon, my older brother, for teasing me about everything except this. Emily, my sister, who will forever stand up for me to internet trolls. You have been Edie’s biggest advocate, and your strength and insight have been invaluable. And Mathew, my brother, for putting up with all my questions about how college students speak, what they wear, how they act, how they text, what they text, etc., etc. Danielle Stolusky, for having the best reaction to the news that my book was chosen and for letting me name a fictional building after you. Jalie Vazquez, for reading all the things I write and for telling me the truth when you don’t like something. For laughing at my jokes. For being one of my favorite people on the planet, forever and always. Cheryl Rice, for inspiring me to continue writing, like you have. For teaching me that a writer is someone who writes, a title not exclusive to published authors.
To Andrew, for reading my roughest of drafts, encouraging me to push forward through disappointment, and supporting me. Thank you for believing in me so thoroughly.
To my dad, thank you for teaching me what perseverance looks like. You’ve shown me dedication and strength through the hardest times, even when giving up seemed easier. To my mom, thank you for giving me the words I needed to make Edie’s dress come alive. Thank you for showing me that you can pursue your dreams at any age. Thank you for teaching me how to sew and how to talk with pins in my mouth. Thank you both for always supporting me and encouraging me.
And finally, to Zelda. You have always been my inspiration. You were a brilliant woman, and I miss you every day.