As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (106)
To my publishers: Verus, Editorial Casals, Gyldendal, Blossom, Nathan, Dressler, Dioptra, Piemme, Poznanskie, Hayakawa, BookZone, and Laguna, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving Lemon Trees a home in so many places. Lemon Trees in other languages was a distant dream I never thought would be possible, but you made it happen.
To Kassie Evashevski, my wonderful film agent, who saw something in my story. I’m still so humbled by all that you said about Lemon Trees.
A most heartfelt thank you to Beth Phelan for creating DVpit. You have transformed so many authors’ lives out there. Thank you for doing that. Every change starts with one person. And your change has caused beautiful ripples in still waters.
To Author Mentor Match that brought so many writers together and gave them a light to hold high while trekking through this side of life. To everyone in Writer’s Club and the fond memories we made together. A special thanks to Alexa Donne for creating this community that gave me the best friends a writer can ask for.
To Joan F. Smith, I want to write your name in full so the whole world knows it. Joan F. Smith is a legend. Joan F. Smith has a heart bigger than the ocean. Joan F. Smith has the moon jealous of her. Joan F. Smith is my favorite person in the world. Joan F. Smith plucked my book from a sea of stories and said this one. Joan F. Smith saved my writing.
To Leah Jordain, a queen in her own right. I learned to love my characters through your eyes. Your eyes were the first ones aside from my mentor and an IRL friend to have read my words. To love them? I’m still in awe that you do.
To Safa Al Awad, who is more than a friend. Who’s like my sister. I miss our long walks in Buhaira, our conversations that never end, and our crying over Doctor Who and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And Everlark. And all the books! Thank you for loving Salama, Layla, and Kenan enough for the both of us. To Shahed Alsolh, who read the earliest of early drafts of this book. Who read Lemon Trees at least three times. Who supported me in every single part of my journey. Who read my messy writing and listened to my very, very long voice notes. You’re truly an angel incarnate. I cherish you more than you know. To Rowad Al Awad, who may be a smol but is lorge at heart. I love you, my other half. Your support and your incessant faith in me are everything. I miss the days we spent in your room just talking and laughing. It was a simpler life. To Rawan Shehadeh, whose heart is softer than cotton candy. My best friend. My suster. You knew this book would become something solid when I thought it would always be abstract. To Aya Adel, my buddy. The way you and I share one brain cell. I live for our long talks, our adventures, and those sunset days at the beach where we read poetry and were truly living that aesthetic life. To Judy Albarazi, who loved my lemon babies enough to draw them. You’re the angelest angel ever. To Amoon, who is a childhood friend writers write about in their books. I love how even the years couldn’t break the string of friendship between us. To Miss Josephine, my favorite English teacher, who saw my love for books and encouraged it. To Tata Naima Hatti Dehbi, who sparked the flame of my reading journey. You are the butterfly effect.
To BBH/The Lemon Squad: Alina, Aliyah, Miranda, Rhea. You girls are my sanity. The English dictionary cannot possibly be able to describe the happiness and belonging I feel with you. I thank God every day for how our funny little group came to be. We were fated to be friends. No one is doing it like us. Literally. I adore you all. And we’re so hilarious too? Like, wow, we really do have it all.
To FOG, Emily, Meryn, Page. I mean, what is there to say? We are four halves of the same brain cell, dancing around a flaming trashcan and cackling loudly. We are soups and peg and Yoon-gi’s bb and melon. We are the beginning and the end. We are the stars. We are. We.
Emily, I think our brains are made from the same stardust. Thank you for existing. Meryn, your before and after pictures when you’d read Lemon Trees are everything. Page, you’re the Dazai to my Suoh Tamaki.
To Kelly Andrew, who I love more than words can describe. I’m incredibly lucky to have my favorite author be one of my closest friends. You, Meryn, and I are peanut butter, jelly, and premium bread. The chaos that goes on in our little group brings such serotonin that I can’t believe we didn’t know each other since forever.
To Brighton Rose, a rose in a field of daisies. You complete me. How beautiful is it that our characters are friends in an alternate universe we conjured up? Our minds! Our power! And the never-ending incorrect quotes we curated for them. To Kalie Holford, I am honored to be your friend and to know you before you take over the world. Your soul is as bright as the sun. To Allison Saft, who read Lemon Trees in ONE DAY (like? What?!). I love you and will always be so grateful for sliding into your DMs. I want to be your writing style when I grow up. To Chloe Gong, a queen with the kindest, softest heart who I’m incredibly lucky to know. You deserve the world, baby. To Rameela, a star that shines bright in the night sky. Salama, Layla, and Kenan adore you. As do I. To Molly X. Chang, it’s a testimony to who we are that it was Kim Tae-hyung who brought us together. What a wonderful foundation for a wonderful friendship. To Braden Goyette, whose stories are going to change the literature landscape. Thanks for letting me be part of the ride! To Jen Elrod, my baby, I love you and our voice notes and our talks and everything that we do. I swear, rarely do I meet someone who just gets me. To Mallory Jones, an icon Yoon-gi would be proud to know. I cherish you. To the LBYR-H :P Maeeda Khan and Ream Shukairy. Maeeda, you are the sun. A whole galaxy. A universe. Ream, my buddy, my friend. I purple you. We’re breaking down doors, baby :”)