Acknowledgments - Reap and Sow

As a debut novelist, writing my own acknowledgments feels like an exercise in dreaming. The same could be said of the entire publishing journey, of course, and I’ve yet to stop pinching myself. Reap & Sow is the culmination of years of dreaming—and the product of quiet, sustained effort: hours spent writing in the gaps around my day job; breakdowns over chapters nearly lost to the shadow realm of missing backups; studying craft books; sharing drafts for feedback; researching agents and endlessly tweaking query letters. The list goes on. This is the unsexy side of authorship, without which Eda and Kit’s story would not exist. But whilst writing Reap & Sow was a largely solitary endeavor, bringing it into the world was not.

I am profoundly grateful to my incredible agents, Pete Knapp and Stuti Telidevara, for guiding me along this wild journey. You understood the story from the very beginning and remain its most passionate champions; Reap & Sow would never have found its home without you both. Thanks also to Claire Wilson and Safae El-Ouahabi at RCW for your brilliant work in the UK and for making me feel so welcome at my first-ever in-person literary event. To Anna Atoria, for handling foreign rights deals with such care and expertise—thank you.

Heartfelt gratitude to Christin Engelberth for her stunning cover art; it still feels surreal that I get to call such beautiful work my debut cover. At Penguin Random House, many thanks to Theresa Evangelista, who so skilfully brought the finished design together. Thanks also to Stevie Hopwood, Rebecca Mason, and Olivia Russo for helping this story find its audience with their superstar marketing and publicity work. And of course, a huge thanks goes to Berkley XO and all those at PRH on both sides of the pond, especially my editors, Rūta Rimas and Carmen McCullough. Your care, insight, and encouragement guided Reap & Sow toward publication and helped it become the best possible version of itself.

I must also thank my earliest readers and supporters, without whom I might never have gained the confidence—or skill—to dare shadow an agent’s inbox. Michelle Kerkhoven, for your unhinged Instagram messages, for making words like boulder permanently funny to me, and for your insightful critiques before anyone else had read a word. Sasha Rose, for indulging me with copious voice notes and being a source of enduring solidarity. Christina, Lex, Nicole, Elise, Sam, Ríona, Mariana, Jenny, Melody Robinette, and all those others who offered feedback or friendship throughout this crazy process—thank you. It truly means the world.

Last but certainly not least, thanks to my family and friends, who never doubted that I was capable (or mad) enough to actually get here, even when I doubted myself. Luc, Rose, Ash, and Zoe—we’ve known each other far too long. Don’t tell my readers anything weird about me. Mum and Dad, thank you for always supporting my eclectic hobbies. I may not have become an Olympic archer, a famous guitarist, or a professional equestrian, but I like to think all those books were worth buying. And to Tristan, for being there through the highest highs and the lowest lows: I love you more than words can say.

I lied, actually. There is one more thanks to give. All of the blood, sweat, and (sometimes) tears that go into publishing a book would ultimately prove meaningless without an audience to share it with. I spent years dreaming of finding mine. To be a part of that likely means very little to you, reader, but it means everything to me. Thank you.