To Katherine Woodfine for all of her wisdom, wit, and wonderfulness. Don’t know what I’d do without you, KWoo!
To my Team Maleficent ladies: Samantha Shannon, Claire Donnelly, Leiana Leatutufu, Lisa Lueddecke, and Krystal Sutherland – thank you for all the writing sprints, critiques, laughs, cheers, gifs, and brilliance. I’m ridiculously proud of all of us. Special thanks to Krystal for all the pep talks and for being there throughout this whole crazy and amazing publishing journey. I’m so glad we’re in this together.
To Laini Taylor, who inspires me as a reader, writer, and human. Thank you for your kindness and encouragement.
A heartfelt thank-you to the NaNoWriMo organization for teaching me to be disciplined (Wing Jones started as a NaNo novel), to the British Library for the focus (most of Wing Jones was written in their magical reading rooms), and to Waterstones Piccadilly for being a book lover’s paradise. I’ve spent countless hours on the fifth floor, in the basement, and, of course, on the children’s floor.
To all my friends who believed in me and thought of me as a writer before I ever had a literary agent or a book deal. Thank you for wanting to hear about every tiny success, whether it was finishing a manuscript or getting interest from an agent. Thank you for sharing in my joy when I found out that Wing Jones was going to be published. To Fay and Janou Gordon, for the most imaginative childhood any writer could ask for and always believing that I’d be a published writer one day. To Courtney Dahl, for running by my side in high school cross-country and being there for me ever since. To Chloe Green and Jessica Herman for always cheering me on. To Caesar and Cynthia Maasry for wanting to know all the details and then wanting to celebrate every step of the way. And to Dyna Yates, Maarten Claessen, and Kris Barnes for all their support, encouragement, and excitement.
To my writing partner and dear friend Jennifer Ball. Thank you for all the hours of writing in CozyTown and in the British Library. Thank you for reading and rereading my manuscripts, for brainstorming sessions and plot discussions. Thank you for being amazing.
A huge thank-you and big hug to all my wonderful family. To all my aunts, uncles, and cousins in the Webber, Hopper, and Tsang families, thank you for all your support and excitement. Extra-special thanks to my terrific in-laws, Paulus and Louisa Tsang; to my sister-in-law, Stephanie Tsang; and to my grandparents, Jack and Sharon Hopper and Bob Webber. And to my Grandma Kay Brockbank Webber, who was an incredible and inspirational woman.
To my brother, Jack, and my sister, Jane. Thank you for being the best brother and sister in the world and for being my best friends. Jack, thanks for playing football in high school – who knew it would inspire me so much? And Janie, thank you for knowing about all things YA – I can’t believe my book is going to be on your shelves! Thank you to my wonderful parents, Rob and Virginia Webber, for always encouraging and supporting me. Dad, thank you for giving me your love of travel. Mom, thank you for giving me your love of reading and for being my biggest inspiration.
Finally, to my husband, Kevin: Thank you for staying up with me while I write, for reading every draft, for providing all my writing snacks. Thank you for all our adventures. Thank you for everything. I love you.