by Jamie Pacton
In case you were wondering: Bran invested the money I gave him, paid off his parents’ debts, and has been to Australia twice already this year to see Sofie. Well, three times I guess, since we both went to Sydney for spring break in March. It’s a gorgeous city, and we got to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Which was EPIC and a life-changing experience. It made me want to help preserve the oceans even more.
Let’s see, what else? Oh! Bran did get the CNN internship, but much to all of our surprise, he turned it down. Since he’s now loaded, he’s decided to not be a reporter but rather to be a travel writer. He’s also taking a gap year, BUT when he goes to college next year, it’ll be at the University of Hawaii with me, which should be perfection. He’s actually arriving today for a month-long visit, and then he and Sofie are heading out on their global adventure. I’m hoping to join them for at least part of their trip.
Well, it’s almost sunset here, and I’m going to sign off because Bran’s plane will be landing soon. The ocean is calling to me, and I’m going to take a long walk on the beach as the stars come out and then go pick him up. I can’t wait for what the summer will bring, and I’m so excited about everything life has to offer me. I feel like I’ve finally grown into my name and the luck it was meant to carry. The only thing I’m missing at this point is you.
I love you, Dad. I miss you. And wherever you are, I hope you can hear the ocean and see the stars too. Maybe the ocean and stars are all we can ask for in a good life. Or maybe there’s more. I’m not sure, but I’ll try to figure it out. I promise.
Love always,
Jane
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OH, THIS BOOK. SHEW. I LOVE IT SO MUCH, BUT IT WAS ALSO THE hardest one I’ve ever written because it dredged up heartaches I’ve carried for years and because the world changed so radically in the spring of 2020, a few weeks before my debut, The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, rode into the world and while I was in the middle of edits for Lucky Girl. I’m so lucky and so very grateful to have had such a wonderful team of people who helped me bring this book into our strange new world.
First, forever thanks to my agent, Kate Testerman, for always being a champion of my work and for answering all my frantic emails with optimism, confidence, and humor.
Thank you to my editor, Ashley Hearn, who loved Fortuna Jane from the beginning and whose suggestions helped shape this story in every way. I will never write a third act without thinking about your insight and guidance.
Thanks also to the amazing team at Page Street: Senior Editor Lauren Knowles; Associate Editor Tamara Grasty; Editorial Intern Sabrina Kleckner; Business Manager Meg Palmer; Managing Editor Hayley Gundlach; Editorial Manager Marissa Giambelluca; Designer Laura Gallant; the marketing and publicity team, including Lizzy Mason and Kayla Tostevin; and the wonderful sales team at Macmillan. Thank you also to my copy editor, Rebecca Behrens.
Thank you to my author friends who have made this journey so much better and who read early drafts of Lucky Girl: Lizzy Mason, Noelle Salazar, M. K. England, Jenny Ferguson, Joan He, and Carrie Allen. Thank you for crying in the right places, reminding me to add feelings and setting details, and also for helping Jane figure out what to do about awful Holden. (Glitter bomb! Woot!)
Thank you to the other writers who joined me for events and helped promote my books. I so appreciate your support and I loved chatting with you all: Becky Albertalli, Adiba Jaigirdar, Jennifer Dugan, Marissa Meyer, Ashley Poston, Jen DeLuca, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Joy McCullough, Jennifer Honeybourn and the many others in the author community who reached out a hand.
Thank you to my wonderful street team and to all the readers, bloggers, librarians, teachers, and other folks who helped spread the word about Lucky Girl, The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, and my other books.
Thank you to the real Mrs. Davis, biology teacher extraordinaire, who was a light to me in the wilderness that was high school. And thank you to Sylvia Earle, incredible oceanographer and badass, who will probably never read this book, but whom I admire tremendously for all the good work she does. In another life, like Fortuna Jane, I would be on that boat with you studying the oceans and helping preserve them for future generations.
Thank you also to Sadie Rogers, my lovely friend who spent so much time cleaning out creeks with me in high school. Ecology Club in this book was absolutely inspired by our adventures.
Thank you to Melanie Richards and Kimberly Canady for helping Adam and me get to Hawaii the first time. And thank you to Greg and Kathy Pacton for the second trip there.
Thank you to my delightful children, Liam and Eliot. It is my great joy and honor to be your mother, and every day I learn something new from both of you. (Especially in the realms of Pokémon, Sonic, cats, all things dragon related, and drawing lessons.)
And thank you most especially to Adam, my wonderful partner, greatest love, and best friend. Thank you for all the long days of hanging out with the kids while I write. Thank you for always choosing us, for seeing me entirely, and for all the support for this author dream. You are magnificent; I adore you entirely. Let’s get back to Maui soon, yes?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMIE PACTON IS A YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE AUTHOR WHO grew up minutes away from the National Storytelling Center in the mountains of East Tennessee. She has a BA and MA in English Literature and currently teaches English at the college level. While pursuing her dream of being an author, she worked as a waitress, pen salesperson, lab assistant, art museum guard, bookseller, pool attendant, nanny, and lots of other weird jobs in between. Her writing has appeared in national and local magazines, and she spent many years blogging for Parents.com. Currently, Jamie lives in Wisconsin with her family and a dog named Lego. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly is her YA debut novel and Lucky Girl is her sophomore novel. She has also published a MG novel, Farfetched, under the pen name Finn Colazo. Find Jamie online at www.jamiepacton.com and on Instagram and Twitter @JamiePacton.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About The Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 Jamie Pacton
First published in 2021 by
Page Street Publishing Co.
27 Congress Street, Suite 105
Salem, MA 01970
www.pagestreetpublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
eISBN 978-1-64567-209-8
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension. 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSp
[email protected].
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020945238
Cover and book design by Laura Benton for Page Street Publishing Co.
Cover illustration by Mina Price
