by Leslie Lutz
I’ve decided this is better done in person. I’ll see you soon, Dad. I have so much to tell you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PEOPLE THINK OF WRITERS as solitary creatures, but most books don’t happen without the help of a community. First of all, I want to thank the DFW Writers Workshop and DFWCon for all your support. This book would absolutely not have happened if I hadn’t found you. You’re the coolest bunch of writers around, and a lot of my acknowledgement space is dedicated to calling you out by name.
Thank you to my three DFWWW beta readers. Daryle McGinnis, your military experience and general awesomeness helped me shape this book on a microlevel. Brooke Fossey, you taught me so much about subtext. And John Bartell, your lessons on voice were indispensable. Thanks for keeping Sia from sounding like a forty-year-old soccer mom.
A big thank you to all those writers who gave me advice and support during the difficult publishing process: Brian Tracey, Melissa Lenhardt, Sally Hamilton, A. Lee Martinez, Rosemary Clement Moore, Larry Enmon, Dana Swift, Jenna Sutton, and so many more, I can’t name them all. I’m really grateful or the generosity and kindness you all showed. Writing communities rock.
A big thanks to Amy Bishop at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret for taking a chance on a new author and for handling everything that came our way with kindness and professionalism. Thank you also to the wonderful editors at Blink: Hannah Van Vels, whose enthusiasm for the project helped me immensely; and Jacque Alberta, who has an amazing eye for detail. Thanks to Denise Froehlich, who designed the gorgeous interior. I also have to give a huge hug to all the marketing and PR folks who helped me navigate some very unknown waters: Michael Aulisio, Sara Merritt, Jessica Westra, Lauren Summerford, Dana Kaye, Julia Borcherts, Hailey Dezort, and Angela Melamud. Without you, my book would be hidden in the most obscure recesses of the internet.
Vanessa Peters, a wonderful singer-songwriter, let me use her brilliant lyrics as Sia’s anthem, and I’m so happy to know someone this talented. I’d also like to send a big thank you Seimi Rurup and Sachi Mitchell, two excellent sensitivity readers on an earlier version of this book. I’ll always be grateful for your support of the project, and your compassionate attitude toward writers who try to connect with cultures different from their own. And Tasia Fossey, thanks so much for lending me your beautiful name.
I needed to check a lot of technical details in Fractured Tide, so thank you to Chief and all the folks at Lone Star Diving in Fort Worth for answering my questions about decompression and wreck diving. Thanks, all you awesome writers at Writers in the Field who taught me about World War II–era weapons. And thanks, George Goldthwaite, for your advice about bombs and World War II destroyers.
To my friends who cheered me along the way: Adrienne Knutson, Zetta Brown, Alicia Druba, and Hannah Head. Thank you for listening to all my news—both the good and the bad—and helping me celebrate. And thanks to my family, both the Lutzes and the Browns, for reminding me what life is all about. To Chris Brown, my actual real-life brother, I promise I will never drag you into a flooded sinkhole to face a giant sea monster and blow up the world. And to Dad, even though you’re gone, you’re not forgotten, because we don’t leave anyone behind.
Most of all, thank you to my husband, Russell, and my lovely daughter, Robin. Russell, you are my friend, my sounding board, and a really great writer. And thank you, Robin, for inspiring the sweet character of Felix. All the love Sia has for her brother, I have for you.