by Sara Saedi
Thank you to my agent, Jess Regel at Foundry Literary + Media. What started out as a few chapters turned into two books, and that is in large part due to your superhuman efforts and tireless work. Partnering with you was a turning point in my career, and remains one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I was very fortunate to work with the talented team at Viking Children’s Books, who helped bring both Never Ever and The Lost Kids to life. To Dana Li, the creative mind behind the stunning covers, I’m more than happy to have each book judged by them. To Kate Renner, for her beautiful interior designs: you took boring Word documents and made them sparkle. To Janet Pascal, Marinda Valenti, and Debra DeFord-Minerva for every single copyedit, and for bearing with me through many a typo. Thank you as well to Maggie Rosenthal for all of your help and assistance these last few years.
Thank you to Tom Jacobson, Blye Faust, and Wendy Rhoads, who were early advocates of this story when it was just a one-liner in my head. The Lost Kids would not have happened without Never Ever, and I would not have attempted to write either book without your encouragement.
To Lynn Fimberg, David Rubin, Michael Pelmont, Matt Ochacher, and Eric Brooks, for always being a phone call away. I would be in a constant state of indecisiveness without your advice.
To Samira Saedi Abrams and Kia Saedi—if an evil doctor ever held you against your will, I would totally find a way to save you. That’s just the kind of thing that siblings do for each other. Thank you for providing me with a surplus of happy childhood memories, and for being the inspiration behind these books. And to Jacob Abrams (my brother from another mother), for opening the very first door in my writing career.
A very special thank-you to my parents, Ali and Shohreh Saedi, for teaching me the meaning of perseverance. I would not have had the courage to pursue my dreams if I hadn’t been raised by people who believed in me. Not to mention all those weekends you drove four hundred miles to take care of your grandson so I could meet my deadlines.
To my amazing husband, Bryon Schafer. You make me feel like I can do anything. Thank you for being a sounding board whenever I needed one, and for having all the confidence in the world in me. You are a bright light and I love you so much.
And to little Ellis, for upping your nap game so I had time to finish this book. Who needs pixie dust when they have you? Thank you for giving me my biggest adventure yet. I love you.
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