Needy Little Things(85)
Tonika. My Chief Accountability Officer. Thank you for understanding on all the various levels there are to be understood. For being a safe space. I so admire you and all of your talents. Watching you nourish your creativity and chase your dreams pushes me to do the same.
Chris: I’ve kept every inspirational note you’ve hidden in my house over the years. Reading them has gotten me through so many low confidence days. You believed in me from the very start. Thank you for always being there. From ninth-grade algebra to this moment and beyond.
Thank you to my partner, Wes. You were there cheering me on when this story was just a passing thought after binge-watching The Twilight Zone. A day spent brainstorming, reading, and gaming with you is a perfect day. Thank you for your kindness and gentleness. Thank you for dreaming with me, and thank you for sharing your own writing with me. I have grown so much by reading your words and spending time by your side.
To my dear mama, my sweet momo. I love you and I am so honored to be your daughter. Thanks for bringing me food when I’d hole up in my room with a book for days as a kid … and as an adult. Thank you for ravenously supporting my dreams and for letting me be me. For our Al Green jam sessions and scary movie nights. For our DIY adventures that never fail to end with us laughing until we cry. XOXO. Always.
To my dad, my pops, my levelheaded advice-giver with the softest heart. I love you big. Thank you for your strength and steadiness. For keeping it real. For your goofy wisecracks. For answering the phone when I call and for calling me when I text. For having a fix for every technology issue I have ever had—except that time I accidentally dumped a bowl of ramen on my laptop. RIP Macadamia III.
To Stacey, Naseem, Andre, Simmi, and all the friends and family I could fill pages and pages naming. I am endlessly grateful for your encouragement, your hugs, and your love.
To all the students I’ve taught and athletes I’ve coached—you’ve been such an inspiration to me. Pieces of your humor, tenacity, curiosity, and joy are embedded in each of my characters.
And finally, to you, reader. Thank you for picking up this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHANNELLE DESAMOURS is a high school science teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, who loves writing tales about magical Black girls. When she’s not napping to recover from her five-A.M. writing sessions, she can be found building tiny homes on The Sims 4 or tending to her house plants. Needy Little Things is her debut novel. You can sign up for email updates here.