Contact (25 page)
Authors: Laurisa Reyes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After earning her B.A. in English in 1995, Laurisa White Reyes spent many years writing for newspapers and magazines before gathering enough courage to live her dream of writing novels.
Contact
is her third published book. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in creative writing, is a book editor for Hamilton Springs/Xchyler Press, and is the Editor-in-chief of
Middle Shelf Magazine
. She lives in Southern California with her husband and five children
.
Please visit her website, http://www.laurisawhitereyes.com and her blog, http://laurisareyes.blogspot.com.
Acknowledgements
I first fell in love with young adult fiction in 2012, the year my debut middle grade novel,
The Rock of Ivanore
, was released with Tanglewood Press. As a debut author, I was part of the Apocalypsies, the collective of debut middle grade and young adult authors that year. Through them I was introduced to some of the best YA books I’ve ever read.
Contact
began as an experiment actually. First, I wanted to try my hand at YA fiction, and second, I wanted to see if I could write as a pantser (writing without an outline). I’m so glad the experiment was a success.
I am thrilled that Hallowed Ink Press selected Contact as their first release, and I want to thank the entire Hallowed Ink team for believing in the story: Emma Michaels, Amber Garcia, Amy Lignor, and Tanya Contois.
I also wish to thank those who contributed invaluable feedback that helped shape the story: Carissa Reyes, Marc Reyes, my husband Gonzalo, Dorine White, Maddie Bennett, Kynzie Bair, and Jane Foster. Also to Gretchen McNeil and Margaret Peterson Haddix for carving time out of their busy author lives to read my book and comment on it.
Thank you to my mom, Cyndi White, who has been my sounding board for all my ideas and who shares my passion for books. To my dad, Ray White, my fellow storyteller and writer-in-arms. To my family for their unending patience and support. And finally to God for the amazing opportunities and blessings he always places in my path.
