While I’m very proud of this novel, the amount of guidance and support I needed to arrive at the final product was more than enough to keep me modest. I’m forever indebted to all of the amazing people who provided this help.
Any list must begin somewhere, and it’s right to begin this one with Chris Gardner. He is the busiest person I know and incredibly generous with the time he doesn’t have. He’s my Yoda, strong with the literary force and there when I need him most. As if this alone weren’t enough, he also recruited his high school English students to review early versions of The Border. Their combined feedback had a significant impact on the shape of this story. In no particular order, thank you to: Natali Morriss, Aliya Fantauzzi, Josh Gonzales, Hanna Malott, Megan Reyna (plus her grandmother, Susan Baker), Claudia Norman, Kylie Newsome, Christian Aguirre, Liliana Palacios Herrera, Sabrina Spracklen, Greg Meinhold, Alex Moore, Samantha Garcia, Michaela McClanahan, William Guthrie, and Karina Bustos.
Along with Chris Gardner, I had two family members on my core feedback team—my creative and articulate brother, Billy, and my thoughtful and understanding wife, Lisa. They deserve many rounds of applause for enduring endless revisions and my accompanying neuroses.
I’d like to profusely thank Adrienne Rosado, my spectacular and persistent literary agent, who has tirelessly critiqued and pitched my work for way too long without receiving anything in return. Her support and dedication to helping me has been a constant force in my growth as a writer. Adrienne also introduced me to Dani Young, who deserves significant credit here as well. Her early editing and suggestions took this story to another level. Without Dani’s insightful recommendations, I can confidently state that this book would not have been acquired by Sourcebooks.
And on that note, I can’t say enough positive things about my experience with the entire team at Sourcebooks. Huge thanks to my phenomenal editor, Annette Pollert-Morgan, who shepherded this rookie through the publication process, made me a part of her team, and showed me “just” how much better this story and my writing could be. Further credit and appreciation goes to Michelle Lecuyer and Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, who each brought a thoughtful and invaluable perspective to the novel. And I’d also like to thank Cassie Gutman, Sarah Kasman, and Lynne Hartzer, and all the others behind the scenes who believed in this novel and helped bring it to market.
Others who reviewed portions or entire versions of this novel and provided valuable feedback include Chris Cassell, Mark Trahan, Mark Berry, Abby Ford, and Kelsey Ortinau. Thanks to all of you.
I owe Mark Wachlin much gratitude for several clutch suggestions when this novel was only a one-line idea. Top among these, I had originally conceived of four boys traveling. Mark suggested making one of them a girl. It’s hard for me to imagine this novel without Gladys.
Last, but far from least, I’d like to thank my parents for giving me remarkable opportunities to explore different cultures. Without these experiences and the perspectives gained from them, this novel wouldn’t exist. An additional thank you and giant hug to my mother who has reviewed nearly everything I’ve ever written and—despite this—has an unwavering belief in my scribblings. I can write no stuff written badly in her eyes, even this sentence. In the marathon of writing a novel, she is a carton of energy bars. And I needed every one.