The Conspiracy of Us (27 page)

I
t may be my name on the front of the book, but a book isn't made by just one person. I'd like to thank all of you who have given me and this book your time and love and expertise along the way, especially:

My editor, Arianne Lewin. At times, I thought you might be trying to kill me, but your love of the book and your keen insight and your refusal to settle for anything less than just-right have (finally!) made it the book I'd always hoped it would be. It turns out you're pretty darn smart.

My agent, Claudia Ballard, who worked so hard to make the book the best it could be and find it a good home, and whose enthusiasm has never waned. Talking to you feels like giving my book a hug.

Katherine Perkins, who handles all the details with aplomb and has a sharp editorial eye on top of it. All the team at Putnam—design, copyediting, sales, marketing, everyone!—for your enthusiasm and support and tireless efforts to make this book a book.

Julie Chang, for all your enthusiasm. Eve Attermann, for being the first person in publishing to get excited about Avery's adventures. Laura Bonner and all the other rights agents and the rest of the WME team for getting the story out to the greater world.

Dahlia Adler, for when writing friends turn into real-life friends who watch
Sharknado
in our PJs and name our guest rooms after each other and have real-time conversations via e-mail. And for not disowning me over and over, when you probably should have.

Gina Ciocca for flailing or complaining with me, as need be, for the hilariously inappropriate jokes and for the novel-length e-mails when we should be writing actual novels instead.

Marieke Nijkamp for stroopwafels and “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the Seine and being an insanely fast, super-insightful reader and somehow never getting tired of my book.

Kim Liggett, sister-wife, who insists on loving my book even when I don't. By the time you see this, we will both have made it through.

Erica Chapman, for the marathon e-mails and the
squees
.

Leigh Ann Kopans and Chessie Zappia, for being two of my earliest pub friends and readers. The rest of the YA Misfits: Jamie Grey, Megan Whitmer, Jenny Kaczorowski, Naseoul Lee, Cait Greer—I'm so happy I met you ladies, and thank you for the beta reads and the friendship and the fun.

Seabrooke Leckie, for being with me through many of your manuscripts and many versions of mine, and for giving me friendship, enthusiasm and intelligent criticism in equal measure.

All the other writers who have beta read my book or taken this journey with me. Brenda Drake and Angi Black and Jenny B and all my Twitter friends and the new Fifteener friends I'm just starting to get to know and IRL friends who are confused by and/or excited about this whole publishing thing and if I listed all of you this would be another book.

Kristen Boers, for having lively YA discussions with me and being my first non-writer reader.

My earliest CPs, Sari and Jason, who read truly ridiculous versions of this book and lived to tell the tale.

Lisa and Laura Roecker, whose very early enthusiasm made me think this book could be worth pursuing.

My old IRL crit group, especially Antoine Ho, Sonja Dewing, and Jim Schnedar, for all the laughs and for reading my stuff before it was worthy of being read.

My parents, Jill and Dave. For getting me all the books I wanted when I was little and letting me spend all my free time reading them, and for being certain I'd make it when I decided to try to write one myself.

My brothers, Tom and John, who do a great job feigning excitement for a genre they know nothing about.

My in-laws, Chuck and Sara, for their unwavering support and mojitos when the publishing timeline seems interminable.

My husband, Andrew, for the back rubs and wine-pouring and dinner-making and putting up with my moods (see: wine). For filling plot holes and talking about Avery and Jack and Stellan like they're real people. For agreeing to set off on crazy adventures with me (including around-the-world travel and . . . life). Every writer (really, every woman!) wishes they had a husband like you.

All the tour guides and locals on our travels who answered crazy questions like how one might escape through the Notre-Dame bell towers, and who didn't turn me in to the authorities if they overheard me talking about what would happen if various monuments blew up.

Booksellers, and especially the crew at Bookworks. You showed me how fun this crazy book world can be.

Librarians and everyone behind libraries. I've practically lived in libraries my whole life, and can't wait to see my own book on the shelves.

To all the people I will meet between when I turn in these acks and publication, who will help with this book's journey into the world—I'm sorry I don't know you yet to mention you by name! Thank you!

To anyone I've forgotten, I'm sorry. I can assure you, I've probably remembered—too late— and I probably feel awful about it! I adore you anyway.

And thank you to
you
, for reading this book.

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