THIS BOOK HAS BEEN A LONG TIME in the making—over eleven years from the time I first penned it to publication day! I have grown so much as a writer and a human being since then, and this little book has grown and changed with me, but somehow turned out to be more itself than it was in the beginning. That is due vastly to all the amazing people who have influenced me and my writing and helped to shape Beneath the Haunting Sea along the way.
First of all, a huge, HUGE thank you to my agent, Sarah Davies, who I still can’t believe signed me, and who I’m pretty sure is secretly a wizard. Thanks for taking a chance on me, for inspiring me to tear my manuscript apart and put it back together again, and draw things out of it that were always meant to be there. You’re tenacious and amazing and wonderful, and I’m so, so grateful to have you in my corner.
Thank you to Alyssa Raymond, my fairy god–editor, without whom Sea would have never seen the light of day. Thank you for believing in me and this book, for pushing me to dig deeper into my world and characters, and polishing Sea until it gleamed.
Thank you to the entire team at Page Street Publishing, for making my lifelong dream of publication a reality!
Thank you to the fantastic people who’ve run National Novel Writing Month over the years—NaNoWriMo inspired me to complete my first novel after graduating college, and many of my first drafts were penned during NaNo, including Sea, in November 2006. In fact, a random writing dare from that year actually still exists in this book—the island of goats that Talia observes as she’s riding the Whale came from that dare!
Thank you to all the agents who replied with encouraging words whilst I was querying, including Diana Fox, who once responded to an early version of this manuscript with a detailed, helpful critique, and referred to my myths as “really good Silmarillion fan fiction.” (I still think this is the greatest compliment ever.) Huge thanks also to Valerie Noble, whose enthusiasm on a certain day in March 2015 made me squawk with such excitement I frightened the cat.
To my best friend in the whole world, Jenny Downer, for the many, many hours of coffee shop writing sessions, deep conversations, and even hugs (but of course only when I most needed them). You’re hilarious and inspiring and have the best taste in everything, and please don’t leave me and move away to Canada (unless I can come, too!!).
To my dear, dear friend Esther LaFay, aka Future Me, who many years ago claimed the title of Number One Fan. Thanks for your wise advice (like, “Joanna, you should definitely go on a second date with that boy” which worked out well, as I married him), always understanding how I feel, basically sharing a brain with me, and knowing the difficulty of being a sensitive INFP soul in a world that never quite aligns with our deeply felt ideals.
To my critique partner Jen Fulmer—I’m so glad we found each other!! I would never have gotten Sea ready for querying if it wasn’t for you, and you’re also the one who sent me the tweet about Sarah being open to queries again! Your encouragement, brainstorming sessions, and virtual hugs have meant more to me than I can possibly express. Thank you for sharing your heart and your words and your time with me!
To my critique partner Laura Weymouth, for epic group chats, making me jealous ‘cause you basically live in Narnia, hashing out plot details, thoughtful critiques, believing in me and my story, and just generally being all-around awesome. You’re still wrong about one thing, though—éowyn and (book) Faramir foreverrrrrrrr!
To my INFP soul-sister Hanna Howard—you’ve been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration, and I don’t know what I’d do without our long text chats filled with so many exclamation points and emojis they would probably give our agents heart attacks. I can’t wait for the day when our dream of traipsing across the Scottish Highlands together, and our other possibly-more-realistic dream of a joint book tour tea party, become reality. Deep breaths! More tea!
To all the writing friends I’ve made along the way, including Joi Weaver, Amy Trueblood, Ashley Carlson, the NaNoWriMo Viddler group, the AZ YA writing group, and so many others.
To the band Keane, for their album Under the Iron Sea, which inspired much of the mood (and a few scenes) in my book, and which I listened to constantly whilst drafting, once upon a time in 2006 when both book and album were new. To the singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt, another huge source of inspiration whilst plotting and drafting Sea, for her haunting melodies and lyrics steeped in longing. And to the band Of Monsters and Men, whose albums My Head is an Animal and Beneath the Skin got me through round after round of revision with my sanity mostly intact.
To Megan Whalen Turner and her phenomenal Queen’s Thief series, which sparked the concept of integrating myths into an overarching storyline. I aspire to one day write a book as masterfully plotted as hers.
To my fellow The Lord of the Rings enthusiast Taleah Greve, for freaking out with me over the Fellowship trailer our freshman year of college, and for letting me borrow your awesome name.
To my fantastic friends for all their encouragement and enthusiasm: Bethany Brownholtz, Deanna Reynolds, Jessica Fox, Seth and Emily Higgins, LeeAnn and Josh Reynolds, Grace Hart, Danielle Pajak, Renee Ferguson, Lauren Brauchie, Brian and Meghan Gonzales, and Michelle Bastian.
To my parents, for their overwhelming support over the years. My dad, for always letting me rope him into ridiculous writing projects growing up, and for the many wonderful photoshoots. My mom, for her many writing cheers and hugs, for letting me get her addicted to tea, and always being willing to meet up for fro-yo. I love you guys!
To my siblings: Daniel, Corrie, and Andrew, for the many adventures growing up, and the now-that-we’re-grown-up adventures, too.
And to my amazing husband, Aaron, for sticking with me during the glacial, arduous, and often excruciating querying and submission process. You give fantastic hugs, always know when I need ice cream, and don’t seem to mind me sobbing on your shoulder from time to time. You are so encouraging and supportive, and I love you more than I could ever properly express. I’m so glad we finally found each other. Thanks for being the bestest life buddy of all time—I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next!