The Weight of Zero (37 page)

Association of Recovery in Higher Education.
RECOVERY PROGRAMS.
http://collegiaterecovery.org/​programs/

Devlin, Philip R. “Connecticut Women and the Battle of Normandy: Can You Help Solve a Mystery?”
Simsbury, Connecticut Patch,
June 5, 2012,
patch.com/​connecticut/​simsbury/​connecticut-women-in-world-war-ii-and-the-battle-of-n6b0c8a5457
.

Dunkins, Brittney, “Students with Depression Fight to Stay on the ‘Path,' ”
GW Today,
http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/​students-depression-fight-stay-‘path'
.

Earley, Charity Adams.
One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC.
College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1989.

Jamison, Kay R.
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness.
New York: Knopf, 1995.

Jamison, Kay R.
Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide.
New York: Knopf, 1999.

Khan, Amir. “Dating With a Mental Illness,”
U.S.News & World Report,
December 5, 2014,
health.usnews.com/​health-news/​health-wellness/​articles/​2014/​12/​05/​dating-with-a-mental-illness
.

Moore, Brenda L.
To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race: The Story of the Only African American WACS Stationed Overseas During World War II.
New York: New York University Press, 1996.

Mullenbach, Cheryl.
Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II
. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2013.

Williamson, Wendy K., and Honora Rose.
Two Bipolar Chicks Guide to Survival: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder.
Franklin, Tennessee: Post Hill Press, 2014.

“6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (Women's Army Corps),”
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion,
history.army.mil/​html/​topics/​afam/​6888thPBn/​index.html
.

After I finished this manuscript, I went online and ordered myself a pair of silver snowflake earrings, the same ones my research had uncovered while writing about Michael's anniversary gift to Catherine. Soon after taking them out of the package, I lost them in my house, yet I couldn't order another pair. I had linked some cosmic significance to the earrings, believing that the story's publication somehow rested on their reappearance.

Two months later, on a late January morning, I found them deep in a kitchen drawer. Twenty minutes later, my phone chimed with an email from agent Sara Megibow offering me representation. The stars had aligned. Sara understood the story instinctively. Brilliant, sharp, enthusiastic and genuine, she is a continual advocate and support. This book would not have been possible without her. I am beyond grateful.

Editor Kate Sullivan transformed this story and deepened it in ways I could have never done on my own. It blossomed under her guidance. With Kate, no sentence was left behind, and she always seemed to catch—on instinct, I think—themes I had meant to expand upon but never actually did. I had no idea how collaborative the revision process would be, and I can't imagine going through it on this story with anyone other than Kate.

Diane Cohen Schneider is a gifted writer and friend whose insight and skill shaped the story from page one. Darlene Beck-Jacobson's insight and suggestions were spot-on. Arriving in the eleventh hour at the request of our agent, Miranda Kenneally's suggestions proved pivotal and inspired me to write one of my favorite parts of the book, Chapter 45.

I'd also like to thank the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for the very generous grant that made this story possible. And Kathy Temean, former SCBWI regional advisor to the New Jersey chapter. It was at one of Kathy's Avalon Workshops that she urged me to write something new. That something new was the first page of this story. Thank you, Kathy!

I'd also like to thank Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary. Winning the 2013 YA Discovery Contest was my first professional validation as a writer, and it turbocharged the writing of this story. I am also grateful for another professional boost from the Shoreline Arts Alliance; this story was a finalist in the 2015 Tassey Walden Awards.

To my parents, thank you for always being in my corner and always ready to embrace my latest adventure. And for instilling deep love of reading and writing in me.

To Jenna and Frankie, thank you for your endless patience while I was writing this book. Thank you for repeating yourselves all those times I was still lost in the story and staring at you with glazed eyes. Thank you for pushing me to keep going. Jenna, your intelligence and sharp eyes made me fear your critique! Getting your stamp of approval was—in a word—priceless. Frankie, I am grateful for your technical advice on dialogue and texting and zombie apocalypse information. Thank you also for pointing out the quote from Otto Frank that day we visited the Anne Frank House and for telling me how you thought it was one of the most meaningful things you read.

And finally, to my husband, Frank: you were the inspiration for Dr. McCallum—an intuitive, caring and dedicated child psychiatrist. This story is being published in large part because of you. From technical advice and general editing to continual support and encouragement, I could have never written it without you. Thank you.

Karen Fortunati is a former attorney whose experiences on the job with children and teens and personal experiences witnessing the impact of depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide inspired her to write this story of hope for those who struggle with mental illness. She wanted them to know that they are not alone in navigating the shame, stigma, and anxiety that often complicate the management of this chronic condition. Karen graduated from the University of Scranton and Georgetown Universtiy Law Center and attends graduate school at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She works part-time as a museum educator and lives in Connecticut with her family and rescue dogs.