Acknowledgments

Almost Home began as an entirely private pursuit, written bit by bit, in secret, between acting and playwriting jobs—simply because these kids took up residence in my head and heart and decided to stay. It could never have become an actual book without the help and support of many wonderful people.

I’d like to thank Margaret Cardillo, my fabulous editor, for taking a risk and helping bring these kids to life with such enormous enthusiasm, commitment, and skill; and Joe Veltre, my agent, for being thoroughly lovely to work with, and for guiding me through the process of getting my first novel out into the world with great insight, intelligence, and a reassuringly steady hand. Everyone at Hyperion has been a joy to work with; I am enormously grateful for all their expertise and support. I’d also like to thank several people who helped shepherd this book through various stages of its development: Greer Hendricks at Atria, for reading some of these stories in a very young form and doing me the enormous favor of helping them to find representation; Michelle Tessler, for believing in the stories early on and offering the invaluable suggestion that they should weave together into a novel; Les Plesko at UCLA, for bringing it into the present tense; Allison Heiny, for generously helping me to navigate the YA universe; and Sarah Self at Gersh, for seeing the possibilities in this story and helping it develop into whatever form it might take next.

Leslie Garis read the manuscript deeply and closely; her input and willingness to engage so fully were indispensable and inspiring. Natasha Blank—with her precocious intelligence and big heart—helped me stay true to these kids’ young yet wise voices; April Yvette Thompson provided her customary unfailing barometer of emotional truth. Nick Hallett and Casey Kait, my two oldest closest artist friends, have shaped this book and all the other work I’ve made in ways far too many to count. I’m so grateful to have had their brilliant, specific, and hilarious sensibilities around to inform, intertwine with, and influence mine for the last almost-fifteen years. Jason Helm, my writing soulmate and emotional twin, has guided, grounded, expanded, developed, and deepened these characters, their stories, and each and every sentence that helps tell them. I never knew I could share a language with someone the way I do with him; my process and work wouldn’t be what they are without his writing, his spirit, and his friendship.

I cannot say enough times how incredibly grateful I am to my parents, Art and Donna Blank. I feel so blessed to have been raised lovingly in a creative household by cool and interesting and conscious parents, and I owe the fact that I am even able to do things like write books in the first place largely to them. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

And finally, I want to thank my amazing husband, Erik Jensen. Making work with him taught me how to tell a story; living with him teaches me, every day, how to love. I am continually astonished that I get not only a hilarious, kind, inspiring best friend whom I’m madly in love with, but a brave, brilliant, and truth-telling artist who collaborates with me, supports me in my own work, is constantly spilling over with a gazillion ideas, and always helps me to do better. Thank you, Erik, for being my home.