When I started writing I had no idea how long and difficult my journey to publication would be. Caraval was not the first book I’d written, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth. Before I finished this book, I’d been confronted with every reason to give up on writing. Thankfully, and in huge part because of everyone I’m about to mention, that did not happen.
A very special thank-you to my parents, who helped support me and allowed me to live with them so I could finish this book. An even larger thank-you because both of you believed in all the unpublished books that came before this. Mom and Dad, I love you so much!
Thank you to my amazing-wonderful-fantastic-fearless agent, Jenny Bent, for all your good advice, for working so hard to get this book in shape, and for finding it so many wonderful homes. I’ve learned so much from you—and I think you’re fun.
Sarah Dotts Barley, my gratitude for you knows no bounds. Thank you for being such an extraordinary editor and champion of this book. It is a constant joy to work with you. I am so thrilled you fell in love with this story and that you showed me how to take this book to the places I could not have brought it on my own. It’s been wonderful to work with you!
Thank you, Amy Einhorn and Bob Miller, my brilliant publishers; I’m so honored that Caraval is on Flatiron’s list. Amy, thank you for all the extra work you put into this book, especially while Sarah was on maternity leave. I also want to thank Caroline Bleeke, for stepping in to help, and for always being so delightful.
I am incredibly thankful for everyone at Macmillan who has put an imprint on this book. Thank you, David Lott, Donna Noetzel, Liz Catalano, Vincent Stanley, Brenna Franzitta, Marlena Bittner, Patricia Cave, Liz Keenan, and Molly Fonseca.
Erin Fitzsimmons and Ray Shappell, thank you for the magic you’ve added to this book with your gorgeous cover designs and illustrations. And thank you, Rhys Davies, for bringing my make-believe world to life with your amazing map of Caraval.
Thank you, Pouya Shahbazian, my fantastic film representative, for finding Caraval an extraordinary home at Twentieth Century Fox. Thank you, Kira Goldberg, for loving Caraval enough to give it a home at Twentieth Century Fox—I’m so glad my book found its way into your hands. Thank you, Nina Jacobson, for believing in this book enough to produce it. And thank you, Karl Austen, for stepping in on such short notice to help make the most exciting day of my life even more amazing.
Thank you to everyone at the phenomenal Bent Agency, with special thanks to Victoria Lowes, for answering my many questions, and for doing a million things that I’m sure I’m unaware of. Molly Ker Hawn, thank you so much for finding such a wonderful home for this book in the UK.
I continue to be filled with gratitude and amazement that Caraval is also going to be published across the globe. A tremendous thank-you to all my amazing foreign coagents, scouts, and foreign publishers—Novo Conceito (Brazil), BARD (Bulgaria), Booky (China), Egmont (Czech Republic), Bayard (France), WSOY (Finland), Piper (Germany), Libri (Hungary), Noura (Indonesia), Miskal (Israel), RCS Libri (Italy), Kino Books (Japan), Sam & Parkers (Korea), Luitingh-Sijthoff (The Netherlands), Aschehoug (Norway), Znak (Poland), Presenca (Portugal), Editura RAO (Romania), Atticus-Azbooka (Russia), Planeta (Spain), Faces (Taiwan), Dogan-Egmont (Turkey), Hodder & Stoughton (United Kingdom & Commonwealth)—thank you all for investing in this book and making all of this wonder possible.
At its heart Caraval is a book about sisters, and I could never have written it if I didn’t have such an incredible sister. Allison Moores, thank you for being my best friend and for always believing that someday I would be published, no matter how impossible it looked, or how often I lost faith.
Matthew Garber, my generous brother, I’ve always looked up to you, and I am so thankful for all the brilliant advice you gave me when I was making so many difficult decisions regarding this book. You were there so many times when there was no one else I could talk to, and you always knew just what to say.
Matt Moores, my patient brother-in-law, thank you for taking such lovely author photos and designing my fantastic Web site. (Richard L. Press, thank you for letting me use your bookstore.)
Stacey Lee, my dear friend and amazing critique partner. I think we were always meant to be friends. Thank you for helping me figure out what to do with this concept, for reading my rough draft in less than twenty-four hours, for talking me through revisions on the phone, and for being there through every wild up and down.
I also want to thank my other amazing critique partners and early readers. Mónica Bustamante Wagner, thank you for your willingness to read this book over and over, and for making me work so hard on that query letter. Elizabeth Briggs, thank you for everything you’ve taught me about writing. I am so grateful Pitch Wars brought us together. Thank you, Amanda Roelofs, for always reading all my first drafts, and putting up with all my questions. Jessica Taylor, thank you for being there when things were horrible, and for your excitement when I first told you about this very vague concept. Julie Dao, thank you for lending me your eyes when I needed a fresh pair to read this book. And a special thanks to Anita Mumm, Ida Olsen, and Amy Lipsky, for all of your invaluable feedback.
Beth Hampson, so often when I felt worthless because I was pursuing a dream that didn’t seem to love me back, you encouraged me and made me feel as if what I was doing was truly worthwhile. Portia Hopkins, thank you for offering to read a book if I ever wrote one, and then for taking a chance on a teacher who’d never taught. Jessica Negrón, although you never read this book, your help with Lost Stars taught me so much.
To the generous and talented authors who were kind enough to read early galleys of this book and write such lovely quotes for it, thank you so much: Sabaa Tahir, Jodi Meadows, Kiersten White, Renée Ahdieh, Stacey Lee, Marie Rutkoski, and Mackenzi Lee.
I also want to give a big hug and a huge thank-you to my dear friends, Katie Nelson, Katie Zachariou, Katie Bucklein, Melody Marshall, Kati Bartkowski, Heidi Lang, Jenelle Maloy, Julie Eshbaugh, Roshani Chokshi, Jen White, Valerie Tejada, Richelle Latona, Denise Apgar, Alexis Bass, Jamie Schwartzkopf, everyone at Pub(lishing) Crawl, the Swanky Seventeens, and the Sweet Sixteens—I am beyond grateful to know all of you.