To the faculty and community of the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program, and the voices inside my head, my advisors: Sharon Darrow, Sarah Ellis, Mary Quattlebaum, and Rita Williams-Garcia. As well as Alan Cumyn, who saw something in my writing before I did.
And, to the rest of my VCFA class, the Dystropians: Shayda Bakshi, Stephen Bramucci, Laura Cook, Rachel Cook, Heidi Landry Phelps, Winter Quisgard, Sheryl Scarborough, Jeff Schill, Heather Strickland, and Ariel Woodruff. We survive.
To the vivacious Canadian author communities of IBBY, CANSCAIP (and the very helpful listserv) and TORkidLit; as well as Karleen Bradford, Stephen Geigen-Miller, Linda Granfield, Claire Humphrey, Karen Krossing, Sharon McKay, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Gillian O’Reilly, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Arthur Slade, Kevin Sylvester, Frieda Wishinsky, and Nicole Winters.
For covering me while I worked on an early draft of the novel: members of Indigo’s Online Merch team, especially Michael Bacal, Josh Fehrens, Michael Gallagher, Anne Lee, Meg Mathur, and Eva Quan.
For your continual support and encouragement: the faculty and administration of the School of Liberal Arts and Science at Humber College, including Trevor Arkell, Vera Beletzan, Eufemia Fantetti, Kelly Harness, and Matthew Harris.
For being there at the beginning, the middle, and the end: Sarah Cooper, Alex Gershon, Terry Gould, Holly Kent, Stephen Graham King, Caroline Nevin, Luis Latour, Alex MacFadyen, Rachel McMillan, Kate Newman, Laird Orr, James Roy, Rosemarie Schade, and Tamar Spina.
To my parents for building a home that nurtured creativity.
To my brother for your bravery.
To my grandmother, who reminds me to “continue what it is that I’m doing.”
And to Raff, for all of the things.
Thank you…
Maud Page 33
