To my literary agents, Josh and Tracey Adams; my editorial compatriot, Emma Dryden; and my fearless (and underemployed, by me) assistant, Kelsey Tressler—thanks for bringing the awesome, all the time.

To Roman (Chewy) White for impromptu toy instrument jam sessions and years of laughs; Katie Lu Krimitsos for sushi and butt-kicking; Kim Frost for her companionship on so many late-night drives; my local writing amigos, Tom, Chris, Liz, Larry, Usman (and Gemma and Geodie in spirit), for lots of great talks and a little bit of critiquing; to Jackie P. for modeling determination; and Kim L. for conversations about viscera.

Thanks, of course, to Tessa Woodward and everyone at HarperCollins. And to my lovely coauthor, Veronica Rossi, for a ridiculous number of laughs and virtual high-fives along the way. It’s an honor, Minty.

Lastly, to my crazy, hilarious, awesome family: Lisa, Mustafa, Alex(panda), Andrew, Dina, Samantha, and Abby. And to Brenda, Jose, Liz, Anna, and Kyle. We’re weirdos, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

—LO

My deepest gratitude goes to the following people: Lorin Oberweger, for your friendship and general brilliance. Josh and Tracey Adams, for black-belt agenting. Tessa Woodward, for the support and editorial guidance—thank you. The rest of the William Morrow gang, Molly Birckhead and Megan Schumann especially, for all your efforts to spread the word about the Boomerang world. To my family and friends, thank you for being the reason why. Finally, to the bloggers and readers out there, thanks for taking another ride with me.

—VR