Deadly Design (9780698173613) (28 page)

Acknowledgments

W
riting is such a solitary act. Inside each writer are voices that both encourage us and dissuade us. And when an outside voice sounds, the voice that tells the writer that they've created something worth reading, it's beyond amazing.

Thank you, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, for being two of those voices and for not only choosing me as the winner of their Pitchapalooza contest, but for being the first to really believe in Kyle and his story. Thank you for going above and beyond and for introducing me to my amazing agent, Ayesha Pande.

Ayesha, I can never thank you enough for your support and guidance and, most of all, for your belief in this story and in me. Validation is like air to a writer, and after years of holding my breath, you made it possible for me to breathe. I could write
thank you
a million times but in the interest of conserving paper I'll just give you one gigantic “THANK YOU!”

Stacey, I'm so happy your name has an
e
in it. I don't know if you remember our first conversation, but my daughter told me that I should only trust you if you spelled your name with an
e
. For an eleven-year-old, she was very bright. I trusted you with my story and with Kyle. You took both and transformed them into more than I could have ever imagined. You and Kate put me through my paces, and I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Stacey Barney and Kate Meltzer, for teaching me so much about the craft of writing and for making Kyle's world and story an even better one.

Bringing a book to life takes so many people, and I have to thank my entire Putnam team: Lindsey Andrews, Irene Vandervoort, Annie Ericsson, Cindy Howle, Ana Deboo, Rob Farren, Adrian James, and Jennifer Dee.

Robyn Hill, thank you for being the best beta reader a writer and friend could hope for. Thank you for your support and your belief in Kyle's story and for the dozens of red pens who sacrificed themselves so that
Deadly Design
could make it to readers everywhere. And mostly, thank you for the hours you spent with Kyle and Jimmy and all the others. Couldn't have achieved this without you!

Thanks to Julie, Sharon, and Ciera for being my young-adult guinea pigs.

A huge thanks to my family for giving me the space and time I needed to write. Usually it's a parent's job to believe in and encourage their children in their dreams. Thank you for believing in mine. And thanks for doing the dishes and laundry and for figuring out dinner and for knowing that if I'm in a bad mood, it's because I need to write.

And thank you, Mom and Dad, for always making me believe I could achieve anything if I tried hard enough.

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