I Must Betray You (26 page)
Authors: Ruta Sepetys
Completing a novel during a global pandemic proved to be extremely challenging. I have never been more grateful for the generosity, patience, and assistance of those so dear to me.
My incredible agent, Steven Malk, has guided my steps since 2007. Kacie Wheeler and Jeffrey Kirkland manage my days and events with loving care. My brilliant and tireless editor, Liza Kaplan, is my creative copilot and champion. Ken Wright and Shanta Newlin have stood beside me since the very first book. I am so grateful to Jen Loja, Jill Santopolo, Talia Benamy, Kaitlin Kneafsey, Kim Ryan, Felicia Frazier, Emily Romero, Carmela Iaria, Trevor Ingerson, Felicity Vallence, Krista Ahlberg, Ellice Lee, Theresa Evangelista, Christina Colangelo, Alex Garber, Venessa Carson, Helen Boomer, Bri Lockhart, Tomislav Tomic, and my Philomel family for giving history a voice and my stories a home.
Behind the scenes are all of the beautiful people at Penguin Young Readers, all of the Penguin field reps, Penguin subsidiary rights, Writers House, Marks Law Group, UTA, Luum, Penguin Audio, and SCBWI. I’m so grateful to all of my wonderful foreign publishers, sub-agents, and translators for sharing my words in over sixty countries.
Sharon Cameron, Amy Eytchison, Angelika Stegmann, Howard Shirley, Court Stevens, Beth Kephart, Claus Pedersen, Niels Bye Nielsen, Marius Markevicius, Yvonne Seivertson, Mike Cortese, Jason Richman, Steve Vai, Ruta Allen, JW Scott, Sean Marks, Genetta
Adair, Meg Fleming, Keith Ryan Cartwright, Mary Tucker, Noah and Andrew Faber, the Baysons, the Rockets, the Peales, the Smiths, the Brodds, the Myers, and the Schefskys have all supported me on the journey of this novel.
Deepest gratitude to my biggest supporters: the teachers, librarians, and booksellers. And most of all—the readers. I appreciate each and every one of you.
My parents taught me to dream big and love even bigger. John and Kristina are my heroes and the best friends a little sis could ask for.
And Michael, whose love gives me the courage and the wings. He is my everything.
Ruta Sepetys
(
rutasepetys.com
) is an internationally acclaimed, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels
Between Shades of Gray
,
Out of the Easy
,
Salt to the Sea
, and
The Fountains of Silence
have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists.
Between Shades of Gray
was adapted into the film
Ashes in the Snow
, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RutaSepetys, and on Facebook at facebook.com/rutasepetys.
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