Shadow Hills (40 page)

I had a destiny: that I was sure of. Now I just needed to figure out what exactly my destiny was.

Though maybe I’d hold off until tomorrow. It was way past curfew, and I still had a beautiful boy to see to before I could go to sleep.

A HUGE thank-you goes out to Meredith Kaffel, my talented and consistently amazing agent, for loving
Shadow Hills
and for never tiring during the search to find a perfect home for it. This book would not be a reality without you and your impressive commitment to it. I owe you so much that I don’t know how I will ever manage to repay you.

To the wonderful group I have had the pleasure of working with at Egmont—especially Super Editor Greg Ferguson, Regina Griffin, Elizabeth Law, Alison Weiss, Robert Guzman, Nico Medina, and my copyeditor Nora Reichard—your advice, editing, and general wisdom has been immeasurably helpful. This is the best publishing house in the world and I’m so glad you decided to publish
Shadow Hills
. Go Team Egmont!

I also want to thank Russ Galen—who, whether he intended to or not, became an invaluable mentor—for taking me out for coffee. You gave me the encouragement I needed when I was at my most discouraged. That three-hour talk is the reason this manuscript didn’t end up in my recycling bin. I also want to thank you for the most critical critique I’d gotten thus far in my
publishing journey. It was what helped me whip
Shadow Hills
into shape, and I truly believe I would not have landed a wonderful agent like Meredith Kaffel without your straightforward (and some might say, blunt) words. I will be forever grateful.

I’m only here because of my parents, Candace Camp and Pete Hopcus, who let me follow my own path. I know it must have been scary when I decided to go to L.A. instead of college, but I don’t think I could have written this story if I hadn’t had those experiences. There were many points in my life when other parents would have been disappointed, but you always believed in me, even when I wasn’t so sure that you should. Thank you for all your support. And, Dad, I will always be overjoyed that you read and loved
Shadow Hills
despite the fact that you are about as far away as you can get from its target audience. Your faith in me means more than you will ever know.

To my love, Brent Barker, who inspired the romance that winds through this book: I never had any interest in writing a love story until you became a part of my life. I felt a connection the very first time I saw you walk by as I sat on the steps outside Griffin. That connection has lasted through the years and continues to grow stronger every day. You are my Nick Charles, and I hope to forever be your Nora.

And these acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without a thank-you to Jessica Wooldridge and Brittani Beitman-Nearing. You are the best friends a writer could have. Jessica has been unflaggingly excited to read every story I’ve handed her, and she was the first person (well, other than myself) to fall in love with
Zach and Phe. She read close to every version of
Shadow Hills
, and Brittani filled in to read the others. They were the first fans of this book and they supported me all through the stressful selling process. You two should get awards for gracefully putting up with my publishing-induced mood swings.

And, finally, I’d like to acknowledge the many great teachers I’ve had through the years, even the ones who were not technically teachers. Particularly Kat Candler, Terri Weiss, and Marco and Diane Perrella: you may not have taught me writing in the traditional sense, but in your own ways you taught me how to craft a story. I also want to say thank you to Adam Wilson for trying to awaken my (still dormant) love for math and for bringing me to The Griffin School, where I got to work with the spirited Elizabeth Miller, who taught all of her students to think for themselves, and the sweet Pam Arthur, who practically let me design my own reading curriculum. It was during this time that I discovered the still-inspiring books
Rats Saw God
by Rob Thomas and
Foxfire
by Joyce Carol Oates.

There are so many more people that I owe great thanks to, but if I included them all here, Egmont would be forced to publish another novel just for my acknowledgments. Please know that even though you might not be on this page, you are in my heart.

ANASTASIA HOPCUS
wrote her first book in the second grade. It was titled
Frederick the Friendly French Ferret
and was seven pages long. During high school she wrote numerous short stories and started (but never finished) three screenplays, all as an alternative to doing actual schoolwork. At the very wise age of twelve her career ambition was to drive a Mack truck, but when that didn’t pan out, she tried acting, bartending, and being a receptionist in a dojo before finally returning to writing. Anastasia loves horror movies, Joss Whedon, obsessing over music, and British accents. She lives in Austin, Texas, and
Shadow Hills
is her debut novel. You can visit Anastasia online at
www.anastasiahopcus.com
.