Many awesome people work hard to turn an idea into a book. I’d like to thank some of them now.
As always, first and foremost, I thank my agent, Cori Deyoe, for encouraging me to write a middle-grade story featuring a boy main character. Once again, you knew what I could do before I knew what I could do.
Really good editors are as precious as a foam finger–wearing Martian yeti with a flashlight and a working knowledge of Morse code. Thank you, Brett Wright, for the amazing and thoughtful revisions, the support, the enthusiasm, and especially the doodles. You are out of this world!
Special thanks to Michelle H. Nagler for being the first to love Arty’s story, Nicole Gastonguay for the gorgeous design work, Linette Kim for giving Arty an early read, and Sandra Smith and Pat McHugh for double-checking my space facts and not throwing moon rocks at my head over all the punctuation errors.
I would have no story and no Arty if it weren’t for the curiosity and comic relief of my longtime space buds and travel partners, Weston and Jane. Thank you also to the presenter at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center planetarium in Hutchinson, KS, for making me giggle about an armpit, and to Camp KAOS for making space awesome.
Susan Vollenweider, my friend and first reader, thank you for reminding me that I have middle-grade boy character material surrounding me every second of the day. And for introducing me to sugar-free vanilla caramel coffee creamer, which, trust me, is a huge part of the construction of this book.
#1 in my life, in my heart, and in my corner—biggest, Jupiter-sized thanks are always reserved for Paige, Weston, Rand. You guys are the sun I revolve around. And, Scott, my galaxy can’t even exist without you. I love you.