Writing Rose’s—and Emily’s and Aaron’s and Damien’s—story was a process of discovery unlike any other I’ve experienced. The things I learned about this story, these characters, myself, would not have happened without the music I listened to while building the dreamworld. So thank you to Animal Collective, Lady Gaga, Matt Duke, and Jónsi for the perfect music to get me into a dream-writing trance, and to Halsey, Julia Michaels, Ira Wolf, Sasha Sloan, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, JP Saxe, and SYML for helping me find the dimensions of Rose and Damien’s relationship.

The Atypicals wouldn’t be what they are today without the amazing original cast and team that helped me bring them to life in the podcast: Julia Morizawa, Briggon Snow, Anna Lore, Charlie Ian, Alex Gallner, Ian McQuown, Andrew Nowak, Alex Marshall-Brown, Phillip Jordan, Alanna Fox, Mischa Stanton, and Evan Cunningham. Beyond being such wonderful collaborators, you’ve all become very dear friends, and that is the thing I am most grateful for.

To all of my friends. My Menaces, my New Year’s Crew, FTH, all the amazing people I’ve met through podcasting and publishing who I’ve bonded with over drinks, brunches, convention tables, livestreams, video games, and one another’s shows and books—thank you for inspiring me, for comforting me, for laughing with me. My world is infinitely better because you exist in it.

To my wacky and wonderful family, who are nothing at all like the Atkinsons, but superpowered in their own way: I wouldn’t be who I am without you. Mom, Dad, Betsy, Don, my little OWL and EAL—like Emily, all I’ve ever wanted is to be someone you can be proud of.

To B, for being the best partner I could ever ask for, like someone I dreamed up. The best thing that writing these stories ever brought me was you.

These books have been the realization of my oldest and most precious dream. I never expected to be a published author, never expected to be fortunate enough to connect with people through words I wrote. To all of you who have picked up a book, who have listened to the podcast, who have recommended either to a friend, who have written me about what the stories mean to you: thank you, thank you, thank you. From the folks who found this story in the earliest days to the newest pals screaming with me about Stucky on our Discord server, you have all enriched my life beyond measure.