YOU MADE IT TO THE acknowledgments page, and for that I am grateful. It takes a village, as they say, and the amazing team that helped put this book on the map deserves all the gold stars in the sky and my heartfelt thanks.
To Melissa Edwards, for your belief in this story and ability to champion it beyond my dreams. To the hardworking and dedicated people at Aaron Priest Literary Agency and Stonesong Literary Agency, with a special thank-you to Frances Jalet Miller for her early reading and editorial acumen.
My brilliant editor at HarperCollins, Alyson Day, helped make this book immeasurably better and navigated me through the muck with encouragement, insight, and sheer thoughtfulness. Tessa Meischeid made me smile every time we emailed. Abbe Goldberg shared her support. Renée Cafiero, my copyeditor; Joel Tippie, my designer; Bess Braswell, Tyler Breitfeller, and Mitchell Thorpe, the most amazing marketing and publicity folks. Megan Beatie has been a tireless advocate, and I am deeply grateful. And every person at HarperTeen who helped transform this book from imagination to tangible pages.
I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the English department at Whitman College. And, from my childhood, thank you to the librarians at Harney County Library, who never questioned why a parentless kid camped in their aisles from sunup to sundown.
So many thanks also to my fellow writers at the Electric Eighteens, especially Rebecca Sky and Rachel Lynn Solomon, for their willingness to lend eyes and ears at the drop of a hat. To Dana Mele and the struggle bus. We’re on this ride together. Thank you to Naomi Hughes for your early reads and Professor Linville for your words of encouragement when I lost my way.
To these authors, many of whom have now become friends, thank you for paving the way for me to tackle hard topics and write from the heart: Kathleen Glasgow, Kerry Kletter, Jennifer Niven, Caleb Roehrig, Amber Smith, Carlie Sorosiak, and Jeff Zentner. I respect you and your art.
Thanks also to my parents for believing in me. To my brother, Scott, for encouraging me to chase my dreams.
To my girls, Madysen and Ava, for love notes and hugs that last all day, and those five little words that kept me going: Mom—You can do it.
To Bryan, my rock, my home, my heart. You’ll always be the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I love you.
Finally, my heartfelt thanks to my grandparents, who left this world a better place. Thank you, Papa, for showing me homelessness was only a start, not the end.