At Christmas, as my husband and I drove from LA to Nashville with our giant 120-pound Newfoundland puppy, we discussed book ideas we hoped to write the coming year. This was when I told John about my idea for Anna K. My husband said, “You should write it now. You’re ready.” When I asked him what he meant by “ready,” he replied, “The best time to write a great love story is when you’re living one.” I laughed, reminding him that Anna and Vronsky’s love story didn’t end so well, though as I said it, I was already wondering if there could be a different fate for my Anna K. I started rereading Anna Karenina for the third time that night on my Kindle in a hotel outside of Oklahoma City.

Turns out my husband was right. The best time to write a love story is when you’re in love.

Acknowledgments

There are so many people who deserve a shout-out for their contribution to my first young adult novel, Anna K. The list is long, and I will not be going in order of importance; rather I will be mentioning based on height … KIDDING. I joke because I have an intense fear of leaving someone out accidentally. If by chance that happens, you should call me and parlay it into me feeling guilty forever and plying you with gifts and desserts. (I don’t mess around when it comes to dessert.)

Okay, now you understand why my book is so long, right? I’m a bit of a blabbermouth and have always been this way. The book is dedicated to my husband, John G. Kloepfer, and deservedly so because I cannot even begin to tell you how much praise and love needs to be heaped upon him for everything he has done for the book and for me as a human. He’s truly the best husband, and the best early reader I have ever met. He was the first person to read every single page of this book … and his edits and smarts have elevated it tremendously. My second reader was the amazing Jenna Hensel, whose unrelenting cheerleading and upbeat attitude was super helpful to me and I’m forever grateful for all your love and support with all my writing. The only thing sunnier than the actual sun out here in L.A. is you. Eleanor Bray, you’re next … because wow, you really were so fabulous throughout this whole process. Thanks for all your research and your willingness to deep dive into every topic of interest I tossed your way, whether it was Coachella or the right club the characters would go to in Manhattan. Countless texts were exchanged between us when it came to the most au courante teen lingo and you handled all my neurotic questioning with grace and aplomb.