Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz - 42

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was five years old, which means that I’ve dreamed about writing my acknowledgments the way some people practice their Academy Award speeches in the shower (though in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve done that too). So of course now that the time has come to write them for real, I have promptly gone and forgotten the names of every single person I have ever met in my life.

No, for real though, bringing a book into the world isn’t something you can do alone, and I’m so immeasurably grateful to all the people who have stood alongside me on this journey.

First, a huge thank-you to my agent, Brent Taylor, for his relentless support and advocacy on this whirlwind ride, and for always answering my “This might be a silly question…” emails with patience, humor, and a whole lot of knowledge.

An equally massive thank-you to my editor, Sareer Khader, who not only believed in this story but helped me bring it to new heights in ways I could never have fathomed. Your expert guidance, enthusiasm, and incredible insight have been everything to me, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have won the editor lottery. I’m so grateful to you for taking a chance on Violet, Nathaniel, and—let’s be real, we all know the truth of the situation here—Bartleby.

Thank you to Katie Anderson for your genius cover direction and to Chaaya Prabhat for the beautiful cover and endpapers. You have no idea how much squealing I have done over your gorgeous artwork.

You would simply not be holding this book without Angela Cowan, who read the first draft, which I’d been calling my “fuck it” book, and very gently said, “Em, I think you might regret it if you didn’t at least send this out to a few agents.” You were so, so right. Thank you for being an incredible critique partner, cheerleader, and friend.

Pip Davidson has been an unwavering supporter of this book and an even more unwavering best friend. Thank you for innumerable coffee walks, patiently reminding me that yes, in fact, my wins are worth celebrating, and for being my unofficial PR man.

Thank you also to Marshall J. Moore and Megan McElroy Moore, who read this book long before it became the version it is now and who were the best kind of support when it felt like there was an entire hive of bees buzzing beneath my skin.

To Mackenzie, Jasmine, and Jamie for countless hours writing, and probably just as many not writing. Also a big thanks to the many baristas who kept me caffeinated (especially the ones who gave me a free latte when I ugly-cried all over the bar after accepting my book deal). And to Jason Buchholz, Nirmala Nataraj, Sarah Bossenbroek, and Donna Galassi, whose camaraderie kept me from losing it while I was writing this book.

Thank you to the Berkletes for welcoming me with open arms and being an incredible source of wisdom and support over the past year. To the 2025 Debuts discord, especially Noreen Nanja, Deidra Duncan, Melissa O’Connor, Sasa Hawk, Lauren Okie, and Maggie Eckersley, and to the 2025 class of the Author Debutante Ball. As one of the cabooses of this year, I can say it with certainty now—we did it!

Endless gratitude to my amazing parents, particularly my mom for getting back into reading just in time to understand how wild this whole publishing ride has been (and for falling in love with the same types of books as me so we can talk about them all the time). To my brother and sisters for giving me plenty of fodder to make my editor say “I can tell you have siblings” when Nathaniel and Pru bicker. I love you nerds. Special thank-you to my talented sister Katie for my author photos.

A huge shout-out to my therapist, who has more than earned her keep during my debut year. And to the writers of TikTok, who took it in stride when I made the awkward leap from teaching about writing to sharing more about my own, and whose support and excitement for this book have been incredible.

Last but certainly never least, to Zak, who listened very attentively that early-spring morning when I said, “I need you to go for a long walk with me so I can talk at you about a story idea.” Thank you for encouraging me to take myself seriously. Thank you for bringing me so many cups of tea and making me dinner when I’m in a writing trance and forget to eat, and for celebrating every single win with me, no matter how big or small. For your support and your sense of humor and your big kind heart and your unfaltering belief in me. You are the brightest star in my constellation. Thanks for loving me, thorns and all.

And wait, I have one more thank-you from the very bottom of my heart—to you . If you turn back the pages in the book of my life, you’ll find a little girl scribbling stories on scraps of paper, dreaming of the day she might call herself an author. Whether you loved this book or hated it, thank you so much for picking it up and reading it.

Thank you for making my dreams come true.