Thank you to the endlessly clever and adept HarperTeen sales team: Andrea Pappenheimer, Kerry Moynagh, and Kathy Faber. Thanks also to: Jen Wygand, Jenny Sheridan, Heather Doss, Deb Murphy, Fran Olson, Susan Yeager, Jess Malone, and Jess Abel, as well as Samantha Hagerbaumer, Andrea Rosen, and Jean McGinley.
Thank you to all the committed people in HarperTeen managing editorial: Josh Weiss, Bethany Reis, and my copy editor, Valerie Shea.
Many thanks to my fabulous agent Marly Rusoff, Michael Radulescu, and Julie Mosow. And so much gratitude to the indefatigable marvel that is Gina Laquinta. Thank you also to Shari Smiley, Lizzy Kremer, Michael Taeckens and Harriet Moore. And to the always wonderful Claire Wachtel.
Many thanks to the experts who so generously lent me their wisdom: Dr. Marc Brackett, Dr. Cassandra Gould, Dr. Allyson Hobbs, Dr. John D. Mayer, Dr. Rebecca Prentice, Dr. Matt Wall, Wendy Green, and Leslie Lewin. I am indebted also to the incredible work of Roxane Gay.
Endless thanks to my fantastic friends and family: Martin and Claire Prentice, Mike Blom, Catherine and David Bohigian, Cindy Buzzeo, Cara Cragan and Michael Moroney, the Cragan Family, the Crane Family, Joe and Naomi Daniels, Larry and Suzy Daniels, Bob Daniels and Craig Leslie, Diane and Stanley Dohm, Elena Evangelo and Dan Panosian, Dave Fischer, Heather and Michael Frattone, Tania Garcia, Sonya Glazer, Jeff Johnson, David Kear, Merrie Koehlert, Hallie Levin, John McCreight and Kim Healey, Brian McCreight, the Metzger Family, Jason Miller, Tara and Frank Pometti, Stephen Prentice, Motoko Rich and Mark Topping, Jon Reinish, Bronwen Stine, the Thomatos Family, Meg Yonts, Denise Young Farrell, and Christine Yu. Thank you to the baristas at the Park Slope Starbucks for treating me like an honorary employee. And a very special thank-you to the wonderful Kate Eschelbach for so steadily holding down the fort.
Much gratitude to my first reader, Megan Crane, to Nicole Kear, in charge of daily vetting, and to Victoria Cook, who fanned the flames of a tiny spark years ago.
Thank you to my daughter Emerson for inspiring me daily with your grit and determination. And to my daughter Harper for the living reminder of what it means to be equal parts kind and courageous. Many thanks to my husband, Tony, for the months of way-more-than-your-fair-share of child care and for always making me smile, after making them smile. Couldn’t have done it without you, wouldn’t ever want to. And to all three of you, thank you for always welcoming me home.