Reasons to Be Happy (18 page)

My Reasons to Be Grateful (in no particular order):

1. My wonderful parents, Butch and Beverly Kittle, for instilling in me a love of reading, words, and books.

2. My supportive sister Monica, her husband Rick, and my smart, funny niece and nephew. Amy and Nathan never cease to amaze and inspire me with their creativity.

3. Lisa Bankoff, the best agent an author could ever dream of having. She has enriched my life in many ways beyond our professional relationship and introduced me to a new reason to be happy: heated mattress covers. (Life changing!)

4. Daniel Kirschen and Tina Wexler, also at ICM, for their expertise and efforts on my behalf.

5. Rebecca Frazer, dream editor, at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; thank you for your passion and belief in Hannah and her world.

6. Todd Stocke, Aubrey Poole, Kristin Zelazko, Kelly Barrales-Saylor, Gretchen Stelter, and so many others in my Sourcebooks family, for your loving shepherding of this book into the world.

7. Dr. Diana G. Ackerly, who helped me understand bulimia and its treatment.

8. Bill Glisson (best boss I ever had), then principal of the Miami Valley Middle School, who let me travel with him and eight students for three weeks in Ghana that altered my life.

9. Sharyn November, editor extraordinaire, who wrote to me after reading
The
Kindness
of
Strangers
, asking if I’d ever considered writing for a younger audience because she loved Jordan’s and Nate’s voices. At the time, I hadn’t. This is all your fault. :-)

10. All of my former students at Centerville High School and the Miami Valley School, for challenging me, inspiring me, and teaching me as much as I ever taught you. I’d like to especially thank the MVS students who participated in the daily “Reasons to Be Happy” list on my whiteboard. You’ll find many of your contributions in this book. Special love and thanks to Ellen, Libbi, and Claire.

11. Brooklyn, where I lived while writing this book. Beloved borough, you too altered my life.

12. Rachel Moulton, amazing friend and writer, first and last reader of all manuscripts. Thank you for believing in this story when I had stopped. And for the rock story. And for all the lattes. And for seeing some reeeeally bad movies with me and still calling me friend.

13. The Antioch Writers’ Workshop, for over a decade now of inspiration and community.

14. Culture Works, for two sustaining individual artist fellowships.

15. My incredible tribe of family—aunts, uncles, cousins, Nana—and cherished friends, both near and far. I am lucky.

Katrina Kittle’s reasons to be happy include:

1. her overflowing garden in Dayton, Ohio,

2. her fat cat, Joey,

3. coffee,

4. dark chocolate,

5. zombie movies, and

6. starting every morning in her writing office, doing what she loves most

She once had a goat under her bed in Ghana. She is the author of four other novels. You can visit her website at www.katrinakittle.com.