The journey to a finished book can seem as long (and sometimes treacherous) (but fun nevertheless!) as Avery’s globe-trotting adventures, and there are a lot of people who helped make this voyage a good one.
The first and biggest thanks go to my editorial team: editor Arianne Lewin and assistant editor Katherine Perkins, the only people in the world who have read all eight billion iterations of this book (sorry, guys!). Ari, you ripped the book to pieces more times than I can count and helped me put it back together into what it was always meant to be. Katherine, you always have just the right genius insight when I’ve hit a wall I don’t think I can get through. Without you two, Avery (and I!) never would have made it this far, and I appreciate you more than I could possibly say.
To the rest of the Penguin team: fab publicity and marketing folks Lauren Donovan, Anna Jarzab, and the rest of that hardworking crew; Theresa Evangelista for a second gorgeous cover; and everyone else who helped get the book out in the world—I am so lucky to be part of the Penguin family.
To my agent, Claudia Ballard, for your continued championing of this series. And to the rest of WME, including the talented film/TV and foreign rights departments, and especially Anna DeRoy, Erin Conroy, and Laura Bonner.
As a new author, you hear a lot about how stressful the year you debut and write book two in a series can be. Thank you to all the people who made it a lot more fun, especially:
To Dahlia Adler Fisch, who continues to be the best and smartest sounding board, advice-giver, friend, and human. I’m not sure what I’d do without you. To Sofia Embid—this is what happens when you see someone and think, I want to be friends with her. And then, a year of wine and books and ridiculous adventures later, you are, and it’s the best. To all the amazingly talented 2015 debuts. To my favorite sister wife, Kim Liggett. To Penguin Teen on Tour! (Rachel Hawkins, Jessica Khoury, Morgan Rhodes, and Seth Fishman) for more fun than I thought it was possible to have on a book tour. To my brothers, family, and friends (Brenda Drake and the ABQ writer crew! My wonderful YA book club! Lovely online friends!), who manage to maintain enthusiasm for this crazy book-writing thing I’m doing. To my in-laws, Chuck and Sara—the crew aren’t on a sailboat in this book, but a yacht is close enough, right? And to my parents, Jill and Dave, who think I can do anything, even when I’m not so sure. I’m pretty sure you’d be proud even if I just wrote down the alphabet a few thousand times, but it means a lot anyway.
A huge thank-you to everyone who read my book this year, and especially all the readers who obsess about Avery and Jack and Stellan as much as I do. You know who you are—I’ve met you and talked to you via e-mail and Twitter and Instagram and seen your edits on Tumblr, and I am so impressed by your creativity and awed by your love of this series. I don’t care what other authors say—my readers are the best.
Most of all, always, to Andrew. You put up with me, make me feel better, make me a better person. My husband is the best husband there is.