Exchanging curious glances, Violet, Daisy, and Sophia each dug into their present, quickly ripping off the paper and bow. I went slower since I already knew what was inside.
“What’s this for?” Daisy held up a tiny hot air balloon charm.
“I hope none of you are scared of heights,” Aunt Mildred said. “Because next month—when you’re all off grounding—you’re going hot air ballooning!”
Sophia and Daisy cheered, and even Violet managed a smile, and when Ms. Zubov came back to our table, we all ordered second slices of pie to celebrate the beginning of our new club.
I was glad to have Violet back in my life, glad to be getting to know Daisy and Sophia, and I couldn’t wait until next month, when we could all go hot air ballooning. I wanted to feel my feet rising, and look out and see the whole earth spread out before me. I wanted to fly so high my fingertips brushed the sky.
I wanted to soar.
But I didn’t want to do it alone. I wanted Daisy, Violet, and Sophia right next to me.
If life is a story, I was figuring out who I wanted to star in mine.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Once upon a time, several years ago in a cabin in Pollock Pines, I was enjoying a moment with my Journey Girls, my soul sisters, when my friend Cara Lane turned to me and said, “You should write a book about us.” Now, writing a novel about six thirty-something women didn’t particularly strike me as something I wanted to do, and I never base my characters on real people. But still, something about her comment stayed with me. In my more reflective moments, I like to imagine Izzy as a grown woman, with children of her own, telling them the story of how she met the best friends of her life. So thank you, Cara—a comment that you probably don’t remember played a role in planting the seeds that one day grew into the pages of this book.
Thank you to my first reader, Ruth Gallo, who took the time on a park bench in Sonoma to read my first chapters, and told me to keep going.
To Noah Lundquist, my second reader, who, after finishing the first forty pages told me he wished I’d written more, because he wanted to finish it. Noah, the fact that you were so enthusiastic gave me the motivation to keep working, even on the days when the writing was hard, and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to finish. Thank you, too, for helping me proofread my first pass pages, your feedback was incredibly helpful!
To Thomas Lundquist, who first clued me in to the existence of Star-Spangled Sunsets, I love the way you look at the world.
To Milo Smith, whose views on instructions versus imagination shaped my thinking as I developed Izzy’s character.
To Deanna and Dave Bosley, Deana and Mark Lewis, Matt and Val Smith, Kelly and Ken Vogel, and Nancy and Gerry Winkler, as well as Pam and Tom Carroll and Lisa and Bryan Allen—all of you provided childcare when I desperately needed some quiet time to write, and I am grateful for each one of you.
To Alyson Heller, Ilaria Falorsi, Jessica Handelman, and everyone else at Simon & Schuster, thank you for taking such good care of my book baby!
To Kerry Sparks, thank you for being, as always, my Agent of Awesome.
To Mike Troyan, and all the staff at the Citrus Heights Barnes & Noble, thank you for always taking such good care of me at my launch parties!
To the friends, bloggers, librarians, and reviewers who have supported me and my books over the years, I am so grateful for you all.
Thank you especially to Ryan Lundquist, my first and fiercest fan, I love you like crazy.
And finally to God and His Son, the author of my own story, who is deeply vested in all our stories, help me to see all of humanity through the loving lens of your own eyes.
JENNY LUNDQUIST was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California, where she spent her time unsuccessfully learning how to surf. When she was younger, she wanted to be either a rock star or a published author. After she taped herself singing and listened to it on playback, she decided she’d better opt for the writing route. Jenny is the author of Seeing Cinderella and Plastic Polly, as well as the young adult titles The Princess in the Opal Mask and The Opal Crown. Visit her online at jennylundquist.com.
ALADDIN
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ALSO BY JENNY LUNDQUIST
Seeing Cinderella
Plastic Polly
The Princess in the Opal Mask
The Opal Crown
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
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First Aladdin hardcover edition November 2016
Text copyright © 2016 by Jenny Lundquist
Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Ilaria Falorsi
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Jacket designed by Jessica Handelman
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Dante MT.
This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4814-6032-3 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-6033-0 (eBook)
The Charming Life of Izzy Malone Page 17