Maya and the Rising Dark

by Rena Barron

  Best,

  Rena

  Acknowledgments

  I couldn’t have written Maya and the Rising Dark without the people who have supported me from when this story was only an inkling of an idea to the final draft. I am always most thankful for my mother, who encouraged my love of reading and storytelling. To my brothers, who have been excited about Maya since day one.

  To Cyril for listening to my incessant talking about Maya and her friends. For your patience and your support during the ups and downs, the good writing days and the bad ones too. For being dedicated to your passion and helping me find balance when I’m so deep in the writing cave that I lose my way.

  To my literary agent, Suzie Townsend, thank you for being an advocate of Maya and her friends from the beginning and working diligently to find this story a home. Thanks to Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary Agency’s fearless leader and mastermind. To Pouya Shahbazian, the best film agent in the known world and my go-to person for the latest on the best movies. To Mia Roman and Veronica Grijalva for shopping Maya in the international markets. To Meredith Barnes for your wealth of advice on publicity. To Dani, who always keeps me on track. To Hilary, Joe, Madhuri, Cassandra, and Kelsey, thank you for your support.

  To my thoughtful and sharp-eyed editor, Emilia Rhodes at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I count myself lucky that Maya ended up in your capable hands. This story has been such an exercise of self-exploration, and I poured so much of myself into this story—thank you for supporting and encouraging me since our very first call. It means so much that I could write this story centered on black kids who aren’t that different from how I was as a kid.

  I am so lucky to have a great team who supports Maya at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Thank you, Zoe Del Mar for heading up marketing and Tara Shanahan for publicity. Your work is so key to making sure that people know about the book and getting it into the hands of young readers. To Sharismar Rodriguez and the design team who came up with the amazing cover concept for Maya. To Elizabeth Agyemang, Samantha Bertschmann, Mary Magrisso, Kiffin Steurer, Ana Deboo, and Emily Andrukaitis.

  Much respect to cover artist, Geneva Bowers. You really brought Maya to life with your beautiful work.

  Thanks to these generous authors who read early drafts of the book and offered such kind words: Anne Ursu, Lamar Giles, Stephanie Burgis, and MarcyKate Connolly.

  To Mickey Mouse connoisseur, Ronni Davis. Thank you for your energy, kindness, and friendship. It’s always fun to talk about stories and characters and a million other things with you.

  To my ride-or-die friend and critique partner, Alexis Henderson. Thank you for your unrivaled support and for being my very first reader for Maya. Your enthusiasm and early notes were invaluable.

  To my #ChiYA family: Samira, Gloria, Lizzie, Ronni (Hi again!), and honorary members Anna and Kat. To Reese, Mia, Lane, Rosaria, and Jeff (who left us for warmer weather), my writing tribe. To the Speculators, who adopted me into their family: David R., Antra, Nikki, Axie, David M., Nikki, Liz, Erin, Alex, Helen, and Amanda.

  Thank you to the countless others who have offered me encouragement and support throughout the years.

  The biggest thanks to the booksellers and librarians for championing Maya and the Rising Dark. And to the readers who’ve taken a chance on my words, thank you for your support. Always a big thanks to Mrs. Okeke, my high school AP English teacher, who left us too soon. Her passion made me realize that writing could be more than a hobby.

  About the Author

  Author photo by Aaron Gang Photography

  RENA BARRON grew up in small-town Alabama where stories of magic and adventure sparked her imagination. After penning her first awful poem in middle school, she graduated to writing short stories and novels by high school. Rena loves all things science fiction, ghosts, and superheroes. She’s a self-proclaimed space nerd. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading or brushing up on her French.

  Follow her at renabarron.com

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