Vivian Divine Is Dead (22 page)

Acknowledgments

B
EING A TEENAGER IS AN
act of courage.

If you are going through it, you know what I’m talking about. (And hang in there—it gets better!) If you’ve already been through it, you know too, with the help of hindsight.

That’s why I wrote this book.

How
is another question entirely.

The
how
is thanks to some amazing people, most of them listed below:

I will be forever grateful to Katherine Tegen, my phenomenal editor, for taking a chance on me and making this book all that it is. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks also to Katie Bignell, who continually smoothed the publishing path so I didn’t stumble. And to the rest of the incredible Harper team, who have made my transition into publishing a joyful one: Stephanie Evans, Lauren Flower, Casey McIntyre, Amy Ryan, Joel Tippie, Martina Flor, Kathryn Silsand, Marie Claire Cebrian-Ume, and the entire Harper sales team.

Speaking of grateful, I am eternally thankful to my wise and wonderful agent, Jodi Reamer. She looked out for me every step of the way and provided me with extra courage and confidence. She is truly a magic maker. Thanks also to Alec Shane, for all of the great work you do behind the scenes.

Thanks to the SCBWI UK, particularly Sara Grant and Sara O’Connor, for shedding light on the first ten pages of this book. Your hard work gave this book the jump-start it needed, and I will always appreciate it.

Thanks also to David Ford and Brett Brubaker. You gave me the courage to move forward with this book, and your sage advice helped make this dream real.

To my spectacular writing groups, I couldn’t have done this without you. Tara Dairman and Laura Resau, your friendships and writing advice are priceless. Thanks for encouraging me every step of the way. Also a huge thanks to Cindy Strandvold, Jenny Goebel, Todd Mitchell, Sarah Ryan, Carrie Visintainer, Leslie Patterson, Laura Katers, and my teacher Keith Abbott.

Thanks also to my beloved artistic Granddaddy, my Alabama family, and all of my dear friends, for helping keep my spirits up, and to Jan, for giving me a place to write in New York.

I’m sending a big thank-you to my Missouri family (Phyllis, Jimmy, Olivia, and Alexey) for welcoming me into the farm life and supporting me through this whole process. I also owe a big thank-you to my Aurora family (Mike and Ellen) for giving me a place to relax when I was most stressed. And to Helena, for being a grandmother to me, and loving me even when I was a pain in the arse.

Thanks also to Allison, Danny, Fletcher, and Madeleine for providing me with lots of joy and laughter. I love you to the moon. To Alli, my wonderful sister, who took the time to send out my first writings to publishers and accept all of the rejections for me. I am forever grateful.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my amazing parents, John and Vivian Sabel. They have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and taught me how to live life to the fullest. They are the most inspiring people I know. They gave me wings and believed I could fly—and I can! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

To my husband, Tyler. Without you, there would be no book. There would be no mischievous smile behind the words, no absurdly huge love pulling it along, page by page. I don’t have enough words to thank you with. Just know that all of my journeys have been roads leading to you, and if you are the destination, I am home.

And to my readers, thank you. You are a dream come true.

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About the Author

LAUREN SABEL
has a master’s degree in creative writing from Naropa University and currently teaches college writing courses online. She has lived in Rome, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and London and currently resides with her husband in Boulder, Colorado. You can visit her online at www.laurensabel.com.

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Credits

Cover art © 2014 by Martina Flor

Cover design by Joel Tippie

Copyright

Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Vivian Divine Is Dead

Copyright © 2014 by Lauren Sabel

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014933031

ISBN 978-0-06-223195-6

EPUB Edition © MARCH 2014 ISBN 9780062231970

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FIRST EDITION