Pretending to Be Erica (23 page)

And I start to cry.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Long paragraphs of gratitude are the sort of thing that’s hard to get into if you weren’t there.

Thankfully, I was. Doubly thankfully, a lot of other people were, too.

Thank you to the crew at Viking Children’s for tinkering lovingly with my book. Thank you to Sharyn November, my indomitable warrioress editor, for pointing at my small bean of a book and saying “This. This one.” Thank you to Jessica Faust for her unending support, patience, kindness, and willingness to look Violet’s way.

Thank you to Melanie Santiago, Jamie Blair, Dana Alison Levy, Kate Boorman, Jennifer Wood, Jennifer Walkup, and all the wonderful lady writers ensconced in the LitBitches Internet cave. You inspired and uplifted. A special thank-you to Laura Tims, Sarah Harian Raynor, and Leah Clement for trying your hand at friendship with a terrible weeb like me.

Thank you to Kate Fujimoto, Hannah Shimabukuro, Katie Aymar, Amanda Aymar, and Kristin Remington for being the best posse a girl could ever have while still learning how to bleed properly. Thank you to Niccole Medea Long for raising her eyebrow and asking “Now what?” when I showed her the beginnings of a story.

Thank you to my family. Thank you to Michael Painchaud for your unwavering pride in me. Thank you to Deborah Painchaud, for your love and support in all things trying and difficult. Thank you to Cheri Painchaud for being a shining example of strength and tenacity.

Thank you to Griffin Weston for being the patient, captive audience my writing—and I—needed, precisely when we needed it most.

And finally, thank you to Violet. I heard your call. I hope I did it justice.

You’re all right now.

Michelle
Painchaud
was born in Seattle but grew up gate-crashing parties in sugarcane fields in Hawaii. Cats and anime take up what little part of her brain isn’t harassed by stories of teenagers kicking ass. She lives in San Diego, California, and you can find her on Twitter: @michelleiswordy and on Tumblr: michellepainchaud.tumblr.com.

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