Antsy Floats (25 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This ship could not have sailed without the help and support of quite a few skilled ship builders. First and foremost, I'd like to thank my editor, Julie Strauss-Gabel, as well as Don Weisberg, Lauri Hornik, Eileen Kreit, Scottie Bowditch, and everyone at Penguin for believing in this book, and letting Antsy take this voyage. Thanks to my agent, Andrea Brown, for not just being a great agent, but a great friend. Thanks to my kids, Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin for their love and input, and for our research cruises on several of the world's largest cruise ships. A dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. Many thanks to my tireless assistant, Marcia Blanco, without whom nothing would ever get done. A shout-out to Wendy Doyle for her work on my newsletter, and for transcribing my various mad ramblings. Thanks to Chris Goethals for being so supportive, and giving me notes on my early draft. Endless gratitude to my critique group, the Fictionaires, for their wisdom and friendship. And finally a heartfelt thanks to all the fans who screamed for another Antsy story. I think this is the best one yet—I hope you find it to be an epic sail!