I get motion sickness in elevators. For the longest time, I thought the poop deck was so-called because that was where the seagulls did their business. So I guess you could say I never thought I’d write a book that takes place on the sea, much less aboard the infamous Titanic. And I’m grateful to all the people who supported me while I wrote the thing I never thought I’d write.

Just as it takes a crew with many hands doing many different things to steer a ship, so it took a bucketful of amazing talents to see this story off. Thank you to my agent, Kristin Nelson, and her entire team at Nelson Literary Agency, especially Angie Hodapp, for steering my early drafts toward the right currents; my editor, Stephanie Pitts, and editorial assistant Matthew Phipps for working with me up in the bridge, providing your insightful advice, and helping bring this story to life; my publisher, Jen Klonsky, for your stewardship; and all the amazing folks at G. P. Putnam’s Sons for pulling your oars with me.

Thank you as well to my friends and readers: the wondrous Stephanie Garber for rowing my lifeboat with me; Jeanne Schriel for your clear-eyed critique and for thinking so deeply about this story and making me think deeply, too; Ida Olson for your incredible structural and character insights; Kelly Loy Gilbert for helping me grapple with the harder stuff, which you’re so good at; Abigail Hing Wen for your smart reading and constant enthusiasm for my work; Kip Wilson and Megan Bannen for your helping me bring it home. I. W. Gregorio, Parker Peevyhouse, Mónica Bustamante Wagner, Bijal Vakil, Adlai Coronel, Angela Hum, Chenyi Lum, Karen Ng, Susan Repo, Yuki Romero, Maureen Medeiros, Kristen Good, you are all first class.

Special thanks to Sherri L. Smith and Hedgebrook, where I was lucky to spend a transformative week thinking about this particular story, aided by their librarian Evie Lindbloom. Thank you also to Bruce Beveridge, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner, Scott Andrews, and Art Braunschweiger for your aggressive research for Titanic the Ship Magnificent, without which I would be adrift.

Last, thanks to my home crew: Laura Ly, Alyssa Cheng, Carl and Evelyn Leong, words cannot describe how profoundly I and my work benefit from your presence in my life; Dolores and Wai Lee, for your patient and wise instruction on our cultural heritage; Avalon, my wise-cracking and intrepid co-explorer in London for research; my buddy Bennett, for giving me all these laugh lines while I drafted and for being so patient in waiting for a book written especially for you; Jonathan Lee for poring over blueprints with me in our senior reading glasses and for being as passionate about my work as I am. You are my shelters in place and ports in the storm.

About the Author

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