The Dating Game
Page 26
“So the app works like this—when you set up your account, you’re given fifty questions psychologists have found to be predictors of compatibility. You then answer questions about what you like to do in your spare time. When a potential match is found for you in the system, you’ll get an alert asking you when in the next week you are free to do a certain activity, whether that’s going for a hike, visiting an art museum, attending a talk at a nearby university, or trying a new tapas place. Once both parties have compared availability, you’ll be told a time and place to meet. But you won’t know who you’re meeting, or see a picture of them, so you can’t internet stalk and prejudge each other. When you arrive at the location, you’ll be instructed to meet at a certain point, and when both parties’ GPS indicates they’re in the same place, you’ll be informed who you are meeting, and that you are a match. After that, the relationship is in the hands of the people who have met. Maybe you just spend an afternoon doing something you enjoy with someone you have some values in common with and then part ways, or maybe you hit it off, and something really special begins.”
Nancy asks a few questions about the new app, when are we launching again, how much do we expect to grow, how does it feel to have the support of Professor Thomas. And then she gets this glimmer in her eye and says, “Now I have to ask the question that I know viewers will be wondering, given the tech blog rumor mill, and that is about you and Sara.” She looks at me. “You are rapidly becoming the young power couple of the tech world, and you’re designing an app for dating. I think what everyone wants to know is, how did you two get together?”
Sara and I look at each other. Warmth spreads through my chest. Her cheeks turn rosy.
“I’m not sure we have time for that,” Yaz says with a smile. “It’s a very long story.”
* * *
Author’s Note
Although exact numbers are hard to come by, the Pew Research Center estimates that around eleven million people currently live undocumented in the United States. Like Robbie’s mother, many of these people have close family and friends in America.
In researching this book, I read articles and books, and viewed documentaries about immigration. I also interviewed and discussed details of Mrs. Diaz’s fictionalized case with a law student and immigration activist who has worked with numerous clients going through deportation proceedings. I wanted to ensure the information presented in the book was as accurate as possible. That being said, any factual errors in the manuscript are my own.
If you would like to learn more about immigration in the United States, you can find information at: https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights.
Acknowledgments
The creation of a book, much like a start-up, is a group effort. Therefore, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge, endlessly thank and scream from the rooftops about all those who were the Robbie to my Sara on this project. (Or the Sara to my Robbie. I’m not quite sure, but safe to say, we were Braden-free.)
First, thank you to my rock-star agent, Nicole Resciniti, and to everyone at The Seymour Agency. Thank you, Nicole, for putting up with a number of time zones and changing schedules and hopping on the phone with me to talk through everything from new ideas to minor plot points. You are my confidant, champion, beta reader and friend. Thank you for taking a chance on me when I was still in high school.
Thank you to everyone at Inkyard Press, and the wider HarperCollins family. To Leslie Wanger, who first welcomed me to Harlequin TEEN/HarperCollins. Thank you to my editor, Natashya Wilson, whose insight on this project was invaluable, as it is on so many things. I owe you a debt of gratitude for helping me cut through the tangents and confusion and find the core of this story, and what it needed to say. Thank you also to Gabby Vicedomini, for your encouragement and insightful notes. Thank you to Laura Gianino and everyone in publicity and marketing, for helping readers find stories.
Thank you to Kathleen Oudit and Laci Ann Shaffer, for a beautiful, thematically resonate and fun cover.
Thank you to the writers who have inspired me with their words. Thank you particularly to Sandhya Menon, Elizabeth Acevedo, Angelo Surmelis, Tiffany Jackson, Misa Sugiura, Caleb Roehrig and Gloria Chao. It is surreal and an absolute honor to have shared a panel or stage with authors I admire so.
Thank you to Joelle Charbonneau, who took the time to give me advice and encouragement, even in the midst of deadlines and a rock-star tour schedule. Thanks also to Hannah Orenstein, whose advice on fiction and journalism has been so helpful, and whose words resonate deeply with me and so many other young women.
Thank you to Christa Desir and Julie Cross. It means so much to receive encouragement from those I look up to.
To the entire YA Lunch Break group, and particularly Beth Fama, who first invited me. I will miss you guys on the East Coast! Special thanks to Evelyn Skye, who gave me so much encouragement during my debut, and who even apologized for not making it to my launch party, even though her conflict was her own wedding!
To my Electric 18s, thank you for joining me on this roller coaster of a year and for making me feel so welcome, both online and in new cities.
Thank you to booksellers. Particular thanks to Anderson’s in the Chicago area and Kepler’s in Northern California (my two local bookstores) for making my dreams come true when I got to sign my books in your stores.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the amazing teachers I was so fortunate to have, particularly those who helped me when I struggled to learn to read and fell behind my peers. Thank you to my teachers, from St. Francis Xavier and Nazareth Academy to Stanford. Including but not limited to: Jessica Radogno, Amelia Garcia, Lori Wasielewski, Mary Kate O’Mara, Janine Zacharia, Adam Tobin and Phil Taubman.
Thank you also to those who have mentored me and helped to sharpen my writing outside the classroom, from The Mash and Huffington Post Teen to the San Francisco Chronicle, including: Taylor Trudon, Liz Perle, Morgan Olsen, Michelle Lopez, Phil Thompson and Jessica Mullins.
Thank you to my family. To my parents, for all you have done for me. Thank you especially for taking my dream seriously and treating chasing what I love as a viable career path. Thanks as well to my siblings, who encourage me, take pictures of my book in every store they find it and keep me humble.
Thank you also to my Stanford “second family.” To my women in CS and SymSys who inspire this “fuzzy” every day, including Katelyn Jones, Aditi Poduval and the original “code-blooded bitch” Ana Caro Mexia, who has been one of the biggest supporters of my writing and who kindly edited all the Spanish in this manuscript.
To my dear friends of all majors and passions, who inspire me with their drive, including: Nicolas Lozano, Maddie Bradshaw, Alex Barakat, Becca Rose, Carrie Monahan, Maddie Bouton, Marothodi Ntseane and Kristin McIntire.
And of course, to Graeme Hewett, who didn’t just put up with but celebrated my eccentricities. Who comforted and encouraged me when deadlines had me declaring I was turning into “a little ball of stress.” And whose belief in my talent and career potential is unwavering, even when I doubt myself.
And last but not least, thank you to my readers. The time since Frat Girl has been out in the world has been surreal, and I cherish every Tweet, email and Instagram DM I receive. I am so glad my words have connected with you and started a conversation, and I hope we can keep chatting for years to come.
ISBN-13: 9781488034299
The Dating Game
Copyright © 2019 by Kiley Roache
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