Falling by T.J. Newman

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In my attempt to find representation for this book, I sent queries to forty-one agents. All of them passed. Turns out, an unpublished flight attendant without a platform is a tough sell. Who knew?

My forty-second submission was to Shane Salerno.

When I sent him my material, I was convinced of two things. One, Shane would be the perfect fit for this story and what I’d envisioned it could be. And two, there was literally not a chance in hell he would ever give it a look. I remember scribbling a note on a yellow legal pad that I included with the first twenty-five pages. I don’t know why I did that. I hadn’t done it with any of the other submissions. And I can’t recall exactly what the note said—but I do remember laughing as I wrote it. The message was a bold and confident pitch of both myself and the story.

After forty-one rejections, trust me, it couldn’t have been further from how I actually felt.

Maybe it was the note. Maybe it was something I did right in a past life. Maybe aliens played a part. Look, I don’t know. I’ve stopped trying to figure out what compelled Shane to take a chance on me. The only thing I do know is that my whole life changed for the better because he did.

Shane isn’t just an agent. He’s a master of storytelling and craft. A Mr. Miyagi–like mentor and teacher. A fierce advocate and loyal friend. Every day, Shane’s helped me discover not only the best version of this story, but the best version of myself. The work and the education have been a remarkable journey, Shane. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Deep appreciation to the entire team at The Story Factory, but specifically, the tireless efforts of Jackson Keeler, Ryan Coleman, and Deborah Randall. When I consider the other writers represented by TSF, it’s a dizzying lesson in humility—but to be welcomed and supported by them was an unexpected privilege. Adrian McKinty and Don Winslow: when I felt stuck, your insightful suggestions pointed the way out. And to Steve Hamilton: special thanks for being so generous with your time and efforts. The book is far better because of your notes, and this first-time author is far calmer because of your encouragement. Your kindness has meant the world to me.

This is my first venture into the world of publishing, and to have the skilled, meticulous, and genuinely lovely team at Avid Reader Press help me navigate it has been such a relief. I can’t imagine a better home for this book. Carolyn Kelly, Meredith Vilarello, Jordan Rodman, Ben Loehnen, Lauren Wein, Julianna Haubner, Amy Guay, Allie Lawrence, Morgan Hoit, Amanda Mulholland, Elizabeth Hubbard, Jessica Chin, Ruth Lee-Mui, Brigid Black, Cait Lamborne, Alison Forner, Sydney Newman, Paul O’Halloran, Cordia Leung, and Linda Sawicki: I see and appreciate all the hard work you did to turn this idea into a reality. And to my brilliant editor and publisher, Jofie Ferrari-Adler, your keen eye and unbridled enthusiasm left its mark on every page. Working with you has been a complete delight. Thank you.

To join the ranks of Simon & Schuster’s authors is a profound honor and I want to thank Liz Perl, Gary Urda, Paula Amendolara, Wendy Sheanin, Tracy Nelson, Colin Shields, Chrissy Festa, Stu Smith, Teresa Brumm, Lesley Collins, Leora Bernstein, Felice Javit, Rebecca Kaplan, Adam Rothberg, Irene Kheradi, Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, John Felice, Karen Fink, and Sam Cohen for their support of this book. I’m humbled to be a small part of the incredible work you share with the world. And a special thanks to Jonathan Karp for words of encouragement at a crucial time that I will carry with me the rest of my career.

Indie booksellers are a special kind of magic and I feel wildly fortunate that my manuscript had an early audience with four of the best. Cindy Dach, Kyle Hague, Sarah “Buddha” Brown, and Camilla Orr, I treasured your feedback like the gold it was. And to my literary home base—Changing Hands Bookstore in Arizona—my old staff badge remains one of my most prized possessions.

The bedrock of this story is my respect for the inherent duties of those in aviation. I am in awe and appreciation of the pilots and flight attendants who safely shepherd millions of people to their destinations daily, and it’s been a joy and privilege to be in your ranks for the last decade. Let there be no doubt: I am not a pilot, and this is a work of fiction. My aim was to make it accurate enough to be convincing but skewed enough that it wasn’t a training manual. I’m indebted to all the pilots I flew with who entertained my endless questions and patiently helped me understand the art of flying, especially my “phone-a-pilot” friends, Mark Bregar, Fabrice Bosse, Brian Patterson, and Jaimie Rousseau. I come from an aviation family—both my mother and sister were in-flight—but my love for the industry truly took hold when I joined my first airline, Virgin America. To the crews, GSTs, supervisors, and those at Triple Nickel (even you, CSS): I’m so proud of what we built, and I miss it every day. The crew of Flight 416 was inspired by so many of the smart, brave, funny, resourceful teammates I flew with over the years, and I hope you see yourselves in their best features. You guys were always my pixie dust.

Emily and Dominic Debonis, Sarah Braunstein, David and Susan Shuff (of the ever-generous Shuff Property Management Co.), Alok Patel, Jac Jemc, Jon Cable, Beth Hunt, Kellie Collins, and Vanessa Bramlett: prepare for the in-person gratitude I intend to rain down on you all. Consider yourselves warned.

My “people” deserve more credit than I’ll ever be able to give them, so I’ll keep it brief. My parents, Ken and Denise. My sister and her husband, Kellyn and Marty. And the two weasels, Grant and Davis. Thank you for keeping my wheels on. I am nothing without your unconditional love.

Finally, three people deserve special mention.

When I told Sheena Gaspar that I was writing a book, her response was so supportive you’d have thought the book was already finished, published, and on every bestseller list imaginable. If everyone had a friend who believed in them as deeply and unquestioningly as Sheena does me, the world would be filled with a lot more fully realized dreams.

I’ve valued Brian Shuff’s opinion since we were in junior high. Handing him the first draft was terrifying because I knew he would level with me. I expected the worst. (Trust me, that first draft was rough.) Instead, he gave me twelve pages of notes and talked to me as though I was actually a writer. I didn’t believe I’d written a book until Brian told me I had, and I’m forever grateful for the respect and generosity he showed me then and always.

I applied for a job at Changing Hands because my mom suggested it. I interviewed with Virgin America because my mom thought it would be a good fit. I pushed this book from draft to draft because my mom refused to let me settle for anything less than everything I’ve ever wanted. My whole life, my mom has known what I needed most even when I couldn’t see it. Especially when I couldn’t see it. She often tells me, “Your mother is always right.” I roll my eyes every time… but we both know I agree.

This, all of this, is because of you, Mom.