I thank the family members who are no longer here but whose legacies have grounded me: my grandfathers—one for his strength and his name, which I use in his honor, and the other for his love and confidence in me from when I was very young, which I hold on to when I remember that he isn’t here to see this—my uncles, and my paternal grandmother, my Dadi Apa, who greeted the news of my debut with pride and I know would have been happy to hold this book in her hands as well.

I infinitely thank my grandma for being a constant presence of encouragement and chocolate throughout my childhood and now. Thank you as well to my uncles and aunts, and my cousins, for the sweets and celebration every time I have good news to share (and a special thank you to my big sister-cousin Riya Apu for being an instant cheerleader and book pusher as soon as she heard the news). I would be remiss if I didn’t particularly thank my biggest fan and sweet baby sister, my dear cousin Nusaybah Mohsini, who believes in me even on the rough drafting days when I can’t believe in myself. She, my cousin Ashlie Watson, and Farha Ferdous played a huge part in shaping Farah and her family into people, and not merely characters, and I appreciate and love all of them for it. (Thank you to my baby cousin Farhan, as well, for being a reference when I thought, “What would Ahmad do?”)

Thank you to Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton for folding me into Cake Literary with love and patience, from when I was an intern to now. You both inspire me to be a better writer and a better person. Thank you to Victoria Marini for being an incredible agent on behalf of Cake Literary, being an epic cheerleader, and dealing with the red tape with grace and care.

Words cannot express how much Zareen Jaffery means to me, as an inspiration and an editor. Thank you for your kindness and for extending your belief in me to a second book. This industry would not be the same without you and your efforts, and I cannot wait to see how Salaam Reads continues to grow and the wonderful stories it produces in the years to come. Thank you as well to the wonderful Justin Chanda, the hard-working Lisa Moraleda and everyone on the team at S&S.

Thank you to Shveta Thakrar, Ronni Davis, Shan Chakraborty, Katherine Locke and Nita Tyndall for all the pep talks and stardust when I needed it most, and Wendy Xu for being the best petty auntie friend a girl could ask for. I would not be the writer I am without the support and love of my Iron Keys, Natasha Heck (a.k.a. the Commander) and Amparo Ortiz (a.k.a. Dragon Tamer).