While this story may exist, it would be a far lesser novel without the direction of Jean Feiwel and Holly West. Endless thanks for fruitful brainstorming sessions and your willingness to push me (and Tor) in new directions. I’m so glad we get to do this again.
I would have been lost without the eagle eye of my copy editor, Veronica Ambrose. For the rest of the team at Feiwel and Friends and Macmillan—Christine Ma, Nicole Moulaison, Johanna Kirby, Kallam McKay, Molly Brouillete, and Rich Deas—I have tremendous gratitude for your work in taking this manuscript and turning it into a real, live book.
I have to thank Andy McNicol at William Morris for making sure this book found a home and my own agent, Dan Lazar, and his assistant, Torrie Monro–Dougherty, for wrangling my schedule and being there for me each step of the way.
Love to Kelly Loy Gilbert and Shana Silver, who suffered last-minute phone calls when I was stuck and doubting myself. It has to be said that I might have never finished this book without Charlotte Huang and our daily e-mails. It’s also true that everyone should be so lucky as to have amazing friends like mine, who include Lee Kelly, Lori Goldstein, Virginia Boecker, Jen Hayley, Jen Brooks, Kim Liggett, Emily O’Brien, and Kelley Flores—thank you, thank you, thank you.
To my sweet girlfriends, Erica Amadori, Stacy Koski, and Emma Kate Scovill, I’ll always look back fondly on our times riding around in Bert, and I appreciate your letting me borrow him for a cameo in this novel.
Not enough can be said about my parents, to whom this book is dedicated. Your unflagging support means the world.
Finally, to my husband, Rob—it’s no secret that I can have a little “Tor” in me when it comes to my writing. Thank you for encouraging me to pursue it sometimes to the detriment of our social lives and housekeeping, but thank you even more for reining me in and showing me when I’ve already done my best work. You’re the best.