Darius the Great Is Not Okay(79)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


There are so many people who had a hand in bringing this book into the world, but if I taarofed as much as each and every one of you deserve, the acknowledgements would be longer than the book.

Thank you to my agent, Molly O’Neill, for being a tireless champion, a wise counselor, and the best partner in this endeavor I could have asked for. Thank you for your generous advice, your excellent phone calls, and an amazing cake.

Thank you to the entire team at Root Literary: Holly Root, Taylor Haggerty, and Chelsee Glover-Odom, for all your support.

Thank you to my editor, Dana Chidiac, who understood the secret heart of my book, and helped me bring the best possible version into the world. Thank you for your patience, your passion, your keen eye, and your endless good humor.

At every stage of this process, I’ve counted myself lucky to be part of the Penguin family. Thank you to the entire Dial team, who have invested so much in Darius: Lauri Hornik, Namrata Tripathi, Nancy Mercado, and Kristen Tozzo.

Thank you to my copyeditor, Regina Castillo, for a fantastic copyedit, and for including my first ever en-dash.

Thank you to my cover designer, Samira Iravani, for a gorgeous, unforgettable cover. I still get goosebumps every time I look at it. Thank you to Adams Carvalho for a stunning illustration. And thank you to Theresa Evangelista, jacket art director, for making it all happen.

Thank you to Mina Chung for making the book’s interior as beautiful as the exterior.

Thank you to my rockstar publicist, Kaitlin Kneafsey, and to the entire publicity team, especially Shanta Newlin and Elyse Marshall.

Thank you to the marketing team, including Emily Romero, Erin Berger, Caitlin Whalen, and especially Hannah Nesbat. Persian Penguins Unite!

Thank you to the school & library team, headed up by Carmela Iaria, and to the sales team, led by Debra Polansky.

Thank you to the team at Listening Library, especially Aaron Blank, Emily Parliman, Rebecca Waugh, and the fantastic narrator, Michael Levi Harris, for bringing Darius to life in audiobook form.

Thank you to the entire production team. Holding this book in my hands has been a dream come true.

Thank you to Laila Iravani, Parimah Mehrrostami, and Iraj Imani, for filling gaps in my knowledge.

Thank you to Janet Reid, the most famous of fishes, for telling me to go forth and conquer.

Thank you to Brooks Sherman, for insight and inspiration.

Thank you to all the booksellers, librarians, teachers, and bloggers who have spread the word about Darius.

Thank you to my Northwest Tea Family: James Norwood Pratt, Valerie Pratt, Emeric Harney, Rob Russotti, Tiffany Talbott, and the late Steven Smith. Tea is love.

Thank you to Andrew Smith, Christa Desir, and Carrie Mesrobian, for encouragement, friendship, and advice.

Thank you to Arvin Ahmadi, Becky Albertalli, Laurie Halse Anderson, Sara Farizan, Nic Stone, Jasmine Warga, and John Corey Whaley for loving Darius as much as I do.

Thank you to Lana Wood Johnson, for keeping me sane. Thank you to Kosoko Jackson, for keeping me honest. Thank you to Lucie Witt, for keeping me laughing. Thank you to Mark Thurber, for keeping me grounded. Thank you to Ronni Davis, for keeping me going.

Thank you to Nae Kurth, who has been with Darius since the very beginning. (And what a draft that was!) Without you, this book would not be what it is.

Thank you to the Awesome Community, for always having my back; to Josh and Sheila, for all the Star Trek love; to Marcie, for tea and quiet conversation; to Alan and Pam, for mastering the art of chelo kabob; to Jeff, JoAnn, and Ava for fellowship and loin-girding; to Kristina, Rachel, and Q, for Sunday brunches and Taco Tuesdays.

Thank you to my parents, Kay and Zabi, for giving me the space to become who I am.

Thank you to my sister, Afsoneh, for always supporting me.

Thank you to my family. This one’s for you.

And finally, thank you to you, the reader. May your place never be empty.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Adib Khorram is an author, a graphic designer, and a tea enthusiast. If he's not writing (or at his day job), you can probably find him trying to get his 100 yard Freestyle (SCY) under a minute, or learning to do a Lutz Jump. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.