ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thank YOU, beautiful reader, for picking up this book. You’ve literally made my wildest dreams come true, and I’m eternally grateful. Thank you times one thousand!
Kim Lionetti, you are a DREAM agent, and I’m so lucky to have you. You’re like a cool friend, mixed with a badass, mixed with a lawyer, and also a little bit of a mom (even though I’m older than you) who sometimes has to tell me to settle my ass down. I’m so glad I have you and BookEnds in my corner.
Thank you, Nicole Ellul, my incredible editor. You always make me do more work and add more emotion, and I don’t know what I’d do without your brilliant insight. You make my writing so much better. Also, sorry for all the rambling emails all the time. I’d say I’ll try to stop, but I know I won’t (try or stop).
Thanks to everyone at SSBFYR, especially Emily Ritter, Anna Elling, and Amanda Brenner—it’s been a total thrill ride, and I don’t want to ever get off. You hardworking humans do so much for books and authors, and I cannot thank you enough.
Liz Casal, you are such a talented artist, and I cannot thank you enough for creating such stunning covers. They have bewitched me body and soul, and I lovelovelove them. Sarah Creech, your design skills are unmatched. Thank you for always giving me more than I even knew to hope for.
As always, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Bookstagram and BookTok communities. I’m constantly inspired by your love of books and your unbelievable creativity. I still don’t understand how authors are lucky enough to have you; we’re not worthy (Wayne and Garth style).
Also thank you, Haley Pham and Larissa Cambusano, for entertaining us with the delightfully contagious way you read.
Random thanks to random people for bringing me random joy: Taylor Swift, Lori Anderjaska, Emma, Eva, LizWesNation, Diana, Cleo, Chaitanya, Mylla, Berkletes, Becca, Anderson Raccoon Jones, Gracie Abrams, Tiffany Fliedner, Roxane Gay, Wes Bennett’s entourage, and the UPS guy, who has yet to report me to the authorities for stalking him when I’m expecting books.
And the fam—Mom, it’s getting redundant, but I owe you everything for making the library such a huge part of my childhood. I love you; you’re SUCH an inspiration, and I know amazing things are just around the corner. 2024 will be The Year of Nancy. ;)
Dad, I miss you every day.
MaryLee, I don’t deserve a sister as amazing as you, and I can’t wait to read YOUR books.
To my kids—Cass, Ty, Matt, Joey, and Kate—I love you more than everything else in the world. Well… except maybe Rockstars. And spaghetti. Still, though, that’s a lot of love, so you should feel really good about it. #blessed
And, KEVIN (see, I put your name in bold and made it bigger), I save you for last because you’re first. You are my happiness, my sun, the center of my everything. I get excited every freaking day when I hear your car pull into the garage after work because my favorite human is back. (Like a dog, I know.) I still can’t figure out how I landed you, to be honest. You’re the very best person I’ve ever met—smart, hilarious, kind—and I love your face. I’m so glad your bar apparently slipped a little low during that working-at-the-hotel era, allowing me to swoop in and bag you with my inhaler-wielding feminine wiles.