Heartfelt thanks and gratitude go out to so many people who cheered me on and helped me out while I made this book a book.
To the entire FSG/Macmillan team, especially my editor, Joy Peskin, for seeing what was on the page and also what wasn’t. Thank you for loving these characters as much as I do, talking about them like real people, and for helping Morgan’s story grow the layers it needed. Your brilliance, guidance, and kindness are a debut author’s dream and I am so fortunate to get to work with you. To Andrew Arnold who made a book cover that literally made me gasp with excitement when I first saw it. It is perfect. To my keen-eyed copyeditors, Cynthia Ritter and Kate Hurley as well as Karen Ninnis, thank you for your patience and support in getting this just right. And to the lovely Angie Chen plus everyone else behind the scenes at FSG, I am so grateful for you. Additional thanks to the Macmillan UK Children’s team, especially Venetia Gosling, whose enthusiasm for Underwater means the world to me.
To my superagent, Kate Schafer Testerman, who discovered Morgan in the slush pile and changed my life with a phone call that has gone down in history as one of the best phone calls of my entire life. You are my dream agent and I am so very lucky to know you. Thank you to the whole kt literary family, including Renee Nyen, Sara Megibow, and my fellow authors. I am humbled to be in your company. And extra thanks to Amy Spalding who took me to lunch and made me feel like an official agency sibling from day one.
Jon and Kai, my two favorite people in the whole world, thank you for every sacrifice you’ve made and for always believing in this dream of mine. You are the reason for everything and I love you both so much. For my mom, who I think might be the only person more excited about Underwater than I am, thank you for encouraging me when I wanted to major in creative writing and then go on to grad school to write some more. I love you. To Michael, Liane, and Julia for never doubting, even when it was taking a really long time to get here. And finally to my dad who told me the best stories about walking in the woods when I was a kid. I miss you every day.
Elise Robins and Stacy Wise, my loyal SHC, this book is what it is because of you. Thank you for being there through every up, down, and freak-out (I know I have a lot of them). Straight-up fist bump to both of you. And to my beta readers, Lisa Pak, Dave Carpenter, Heidi Swan, and the genius writer/#1 funny, Mariano Svidler, thank you for asking all the right questions.
To my early readers, Carli, Jill, Jenny F., Louisa, Katie, Jenny M., and Missy. You all read Underwater because you love books. I’m so glad you loved my book.
To Robynne, thank you for being kind enough to help me with Morgan’s therapy and being there to answer questions before, during, and after writing. And to my cousin, Johnny Boy Matherne, thank you for sharing details of your US Army experience with me. Your expertise goes beyond measure and any mistakes contained in these pages are mine and mine alone.
To my best friend since high school, Julie Laing, thank you for letting me write stories on your computer and for supporting everything I’ve written since tenth grade. I love you more. And to my other best friend and amazing writer, Brooke Hodess, thank you for giving me a second chance even after I gave you my BRF on the USC tram. I love you (and Hedwig) always.
To my HB cheering section: Dina, Geri, Jane, Michelle, Molly, Brooke B., Carol, Elizabeth, and Kelly. I am so lucky to have you in my life. Additional cheering from Ken Baker, Gus Mastrapa, and Patrick Sauer is very much appreciated. And to my aunt, Dr. Beverly Matherne, thank you for making me feel like a real writer since high school.
To Shannon Parker, I have such mad respect for you and your writing talent. Thank you for your love, your friendship, your amazing critique notes, and an immediate response to any crisis. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
A shout out to my loyal Young Adultish blog fans, thank you for always making me feel extraordinary.
To The Sweet Sixteens team, especially my fellow administrators, I’m so honored to take this journey with you. And to the Sixteen to Read crew, thank you for being so supportive and clever.
Last but not least, thank you to the people who didn’t roll their eyes when I said I was writing a book. And didn’t roll their eyes again when I said I was writing another one. And didn’t roll their eyes again when I said I was writing another one. The road to publication is about perseverance and you were the first people to say, “We knew you could do it!” when it finally happened. You have no idea how much that unwavering support kept me going.
about the author
Marisa Reichardt lives in Southern California with her family. Visit her online at marisareichardt.com. Or sign up for email updates here.