My agent, Mandy Hubbard, is fearless and amazing, and I am so lucky to be on this journey with her as my guide. We had the opportunity to finally meet in person, and I totally burst into tears and hugged her for like twenty minutes. (Side note: I cry at the drop of a hat.) Thank you, Mandy, for everything.
My editor, Mary Kate Castellani, is like a magician. Seriously. This book took a lot of work to get it into shape, and somehow she saw the true story through the drafts I kept sending her. Mary Kate, I consider myself lucky to be able to work with you, and I have grown so much as a writer thanks to your guidance. Thank you for your patience, your brilliance, and your insight.
The entire team at Bloomsbury has been phenomenal, from the artwork on the cover to the people who do my copy edits to the publicity team—I am going to have to buy you all pizza and roses and boxes of chocolate, because I seriously just can’t believe how lucky I am to have you all in my corner. Thank you for all you do on my behalf.
My publicist, Julia Borcherts of Kaye Publicity, works tirelessly behind the scenes, and she’s the most patient and encouraging woman I know. Thank you, Julia, for all you do.
My best friend Bobbie Goettler has been along for the ride since the very beginning of my writing journey, and I don’t know how I would get through any of this without her. She reads every word I write and helps me figure out how to make them stronger. Bobbie, you’re an inspiration as a woman and a wife and a mother, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for everything.
This book was read by many, many people, in many, many different forms, and I’m going to try to remember you all. If I leave you out, please grab me by the shoulders and shake me, and then demand I take you out for drinks. Alison Kemper Beard, Bobbie Goettler, Amy French, Nicole Choiniere-Kroeker, Nicole Mooney, Jim Hilderbrandt, Joy Hensley George, Lee Bross, Michelle MacWhirter, Sarah Fine, Helene Dunbar, Shyla Stokes, Darcy Jacobsen, and Lea Nolan, thank you.
This book also took a tremendous amount of research. Special thanks to Maegan Chaney-Bouis, MD, for insight into what it’s like to be a pediatrician, and for some entertaining (and depressing) stories about sexism in medical school. Special thanks to Sarah Vargo Kellner and the team at Conquest for showing me that a woman can kick ass at Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Special thanks to David Ley, PhD, for some insight into the aftereffects of child abuse, as well as how Brazilian jiu-jitsu can help someone move past trauma. Finally, special thanks to Detective Sergeant L. Gary Yamin of the Baltimore Police Department for insight into online harassment and stalking, and for some truly terrifying stories about how easy it is for teenagers to get in over their head online.
Special thanks to the Kemmerer boys, Jonathan, Nick, Sam, and Zach, for being so patient when I have to hunker down to write—and for being such incredible kids to hang out with when I don’t. I love you all so much.
Finally, thanks to you. Yeah, you. You’re holding this book in your hands, which means you’re a part of my dream. Thank you so much for taking the journey with me.
Copyright © 2018 by Brigid Kemmerer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in the United States of America in March 2018
by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kemmerer, Brigid, author.
Title: More than we can tell / by Brigid Kemmerer.
Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2018.
Summary: When Rev Fletcher and Emma Blue meet, they both long to share secrets, his of being abused by his birth father, hers of her parents’ failing marriage and an online troll who truly frightens her.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017025086 (print) | LCCN 2017039055 (e-book)
ISBN 978-1-68119-014-3 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-68119-015-0 (e-book)
Subjects: | CYAC: Secrets—Fiction. | Family problems—Fiction. | Online trolling—Fiction. | Computer games—Fiction. | Role playing—Fiction. | Adoption—Fiction. | Foster home care—Fiction. | Child abuse—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.K3052 Mor 2018 (print) | LCC PZ7.K3052 (e-book) |
DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017025086
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