Everything After(79)

This book never would have happened without my dream agent/editor duo. Thank you to Miriam Altshuler, whose excitement for these initial pages gave me the confidence I needed to continue, and who is not just an agent but a partner, a champion, and a friend. And to Tara Singh Carlson, whose intelligence, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness are awe-inspiring, and who I am so grateful I get to work with. I can’t imagine creating books without both of you incredible women. Thank you, too, to Reiko Davis at DeFiore and Company, and to the phenomenal folks at Putnam and Penguin Random House who design, copyedit, market, publicize, license, and publish all my books so beautifully: Ivan Held, Christine Ball, Sally Kim, Helen Richard, Ashley Di Dio, Leigh Butler, Tom Dussel, Kate Boggs, Alexis Welby, Ashley Hewlett, Katie McKee, Ashley Clay, Brennin Cummings, Nishtha Patel, Kelly Gildea, Katie Punia, Vi-An Nguyen, Sanny Chiu, Anthony Ramondo, Monica Cordova, Ben Lee, Claire Sullivan, Andrea St. Aubin, and Maija Baldauf. And thank you to the folks at Penguin Young Readers—especially the team at Philomel Books—for being such an understanding and supportive cheering squad while I juggled everything.

I also want to thank my ever-growing family whose love and support buoy me: My mom, Beth Santopolo; my nearly-stepdad, David Turret; my sisters, Alison May and Suzanne Foger; my grandparents Beverly Franklin and Larry Franklin; my nearly-stepbrothers and their families; my in-laws Dan, Flavia, and Becky Claster; and all of my nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles, and cousins. And, of course, my dad, who has been gone for five years but will always be in my heart and my mind.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all the music teachers in my life, particularly Robyn Chase, Nick Lieto, Jim Dragovich, and Eric Williams, who made me fall in love with making music. I’m not even close to as talented as Emily, but I treasure all my time singing in the show choir and concert chorale, playing flute and piccolo in the band, and learning my favorite songs on the piano. You all gave me a remarkable gift.

Finally, thank you to the baby who was the size of a poppy seed the week I finished writing this book, and who continues to grow as this book goes through production. You’ve already changed the way I think, the way I act, and the way I feel about everything. I hope your dad and I make the right choices for all three of us as we travel on our journey together.





about the author



Jill Santopolo is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Light We Lost and More Than Words. Her work has been translated into more than thirty-five languages. She received a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is also the author of three successful children's and young-adult series and works as the associate publisher of Philomel Books. Santopolo travels the world to speak about writing and storytelling. A New Yorker at heart, Jill is currently living in Washington, D.C.