Brown Girl Ghosted
Page 23
Cheers to my soul bros Sasha, David, and Michael. Paul—thank you for advocating for me like I was a paying client. Markus—your expertise from countless hours playing video games, reading comics, and watching YouTube have helped me avoid more tired story tropes than my ego would care to admit. Oliver—thank you for reading that very first draft all those years ago and convincing me that I could do this.
It’s been a twisted journey to get Brown Girl Ghosted published. Thanks to the incredible team at Versify for making it happen! For BGG to find a home with such integrity is beyond my wildest dreams. Kwame Alexander—I’ve fangirled you forever. I read the message you wrote about BGG almost every day and show it to every person that I meet. Margaret Raymo—thank you for getting BGG from the beginning and for not asking me to write about a zombie instead of a bhoot or suggesting I change the Midwest to the UK. Instead, you took BGG and used your brilliance, humor, wisdom, and warmth to help make it better. Thank you to my copyeditor, Tracy Roe, for her great work. Many, many thanks to Samya Arif for her gorgeous, vibrant cover and to Sharismar Rodriguez, the book’s designer.
To everyone at Ferly who lets me whine, worry, demand, and drink in a way that’s usually acceptable only for an author with much bigger book sales—thank you for Storm Sisters and for championing Brown Girl like it’s your own. Laura N.—boss. Mikael—baller. Tuomas—my gentleman reindeer agent who always finds a way to open every closed door. Laura A.—thank you for using your invaluable storytelling expertise to clean up the mess of my “brilliant” first drafts. Cheers to number four and a lifetime more.
Much love and appreciation to the global Das-Koivisto family with its satellite offices around the world. To my Indian crew—I’m forever grateful to you for helping me find my Assamese warrior queens. Koko—you taught me what it means to be an Assamese girl. To the Finnish branch—thank you to Pinni and Tarmo for setting the bar as creatives, parents, and people. To the American headquarters: Dada, Sarah, and Marlow—thank you for helping me stay connected to my midwestern roots by always keeping it real. Sne—you inspire me more than you’ll ever know. Dad—your Shakespearean bedtime tales were my first lessons in storytelling, and your fearlessness was my most important lesson in life.
To my hometowns of Macomb, Illinois; Helsinki, Finland; and Assam, India—no matter how far I go, you’ll always be a part of my stories.
Finally, to my husband, Kalle—you stay up with me until four a.m. figuring out plot twists; you find all the best hole-in-the-wall places on every trip; you make excellent palomas; you wake up every morning with a joke and a song; you follow me into secret caves looking for witches; you play in front of thousands of people and always stay cool; you let me buy too many bowls even if it means paying for extra baggage; you inspire me with your creativity, kindness, and brilliance every day. None of this would have happened without you. Too bad spouses can’t get royalties.
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About the Author
Author photo by Marek Sabogal
MINTIE DAS was born in India, raised in Macomb, Illinois, and now lives in Finland. She’s been traveling the globe since childhood and always finds inspiration in the discovery of the unknown. Mintie spent twelve years organizing international events for governments around the world and the UN. She loves binge-watching her favorite shows and being a total tourist anywhere.
Learn more at mintiedas.com
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