To my online writing group, Write Around the Block, and in particular the query support crew, thank you for your feedback and support: Becky Grenfell, Trey Dowell, Alex Otto, Haley Hwang, Jeremy Mitchell, Kim Hart, Mark Kramarzewski, Rachael Clarke, Janna Miller, Sean Fallon, and Lydia Collins. To Kirsten Baltz, thank you for lending your marine biology expertise. To Jayne Hunter, Roni Schienvar, and Lin Morris, thank you for generally being there for me.
To the writing workshop folks at College of DuPage, and instructor Mardelle Fortier, it was a pleasure workshopping parts of this book with you. To Grace Wynter for her thoughtful feedback on my early first chapters, and to Gwynne Jackson for helping me patch up plot holes. To my wonderful friends Gesina Pedersen and Diana Moroney, thank you for always listening and lifting me up when I needed it.
Most of all, thank you to my family.
To my mom, Meridith Ellis, for showing me how strong a person can be. She’s loving and caring and tough as hell. She can still probably crush me in a bench press or a timed mile, but I know she’ll always be there for me with a warm hug and a long talk over a glass of wine.
To my dad, Dan Johnson, who taught me to read when I was in preschool. I owe my love of books to him. He has always been my biggest champion, and I am so grateful for him.
To my wonderful kids, Annika and Axel, who are probably too young to remember much about that weird year when we were all stuck in the house during a global pandemic and Mommy decided, bafflingly, that this was the year to finish her novel. Thank you for playing together peacefully （most of the time） when I needed to throw on my headphones and work. Thank you for your silliness and your wild imaginations, which brought sweet moments of levity when life got heavy. Thank you to Netflix, along with screen time limits that went out the window in 2020. Thank you to snacks. So many snacks. Thank you to juice boxes!
Finally, thank you to my husband, Drew, who has supported and encouraged me every single day on this journey to take my writing from hobby to career. He is my toughest beta reader, but in the best possible way, and is always willing to look over whatever bizarre thing I’ve written and offer insight. There is no one I’d rather be on this ride with. I love you.
About the Author
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, SHELBY VAN PELT lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family. This is her first novel.
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