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who make my manuscripts bleed in the best ways. And

thanks to Kate Bassett, for beta-reading and cheerleading.

Thanks to the Fourteenery, for hand holding, hilarity

and always blaming it on Melvin.

For Franny Gaede, who is truly the Walter to my Hildy.

A shout-out to the girls of the Crazy Chat. You ladies

know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my bro-

ken teen girl heart.

To those who helped shape me: Georgia Cook, Carol

Calvert, Ted Carlson, Antonio Beecroft, Jon Dembski,

Michael Uhlenkott, Peggy S., Lynn P. and the entire crew

over at SSHS circa 2001–2004.

And to my Gramz, Marguerite O’Connell, who told me

when I was little that I must always start my stories with

something attention grabbing. Hopefully I lived up to her

advice.