My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
acknowledgments
When we finished edits on this book, it felt a little like we were packing up abruptly and moving to a new town. It had been a couple books since we'd written an ensemble like we have in My Favorite Half-Night Stand, and although the ending sees everyone (mostly) settled and happy, it was still hard to walk away from the gang, their dynamic, their obvious love for each other. We hope you've enjoyed spending time with them as much as we did.
Both of us are long married, having met our husbands in the dark days when cell phones either flipped open or were the size of bricks, and so the idea of online dating, let alone a dating app, was foreign to us. Left to our own devices to write a dating-app story, we would no doubt sound like two octogenarians writing the user instructions for a 3-D printer. We are so indebted to our CLo & Friends group for helping us with an online dating questionnaire we designed for research purposes. Thank you to all of these sweeties: Dana H., Summer W., Kristensparkles, Stecey L., Chandelle C., Jenn C., Melissa H., Caroline K., Saam N., Crystal H., Jessica N., Tina A., Nena, Erica B., Jennifer N.B., Melissa B., Jacqueline, Angela I., Jessica T., Ashley., Elle O., Cassandra L., Vera Charlotte, Floriane M., Britney B., Renata P., Sydney R., Kristen T., Amor C., Amy B., Angelica N.B., Brie S., Tabitha C., Kawtar., Jennifer B., and Stacy Alice. They took the time to share stories that made us laugh and cringe, and any authenticity that rings from these pages is due to their help. Anything that feels wrong or ridicilous is, of course, our fault.
As always, our books come to our editor as words stuffed in garbage bags tied together with twine (only sort of joking), and we are forever enamored with Adam Wilson for making these pages into books. Thank you Kate for agreeing to join Team CLo-it feels like the most natural fit in the world. How lucky are we?! You two are truly amazing. Holly Root, our agent, has been unanimously voted The Person CLo Would Like to Be When They Grow Up. She keeps this train on the tracks, and some days that takes efforts that hint she may be a cyborg. Kristing Dwyer is our precious and our PR rep and if she weren't with us, we'd be lost somewhere in the Mediterranean with no wallets, no itinerary, and no Honest Trailers to watch. Thank you to our fantabulous team at Simon & Schuster: Carolyn Reidy, Jen Bergstorm, Jen Long, Aimee Bell, the entire sales department (you're our heroes), Rachel Brenner, Molly Gregory, Diana Velasquez, Mackenzie Hickey, Abby Zidle, Paul O' Halloran, John Vairo, Lisa Litwack, Sarah Lieberman, Louisa Solomon, Lauren Pires, and Ellen Gutoskey. Ed Schlesinger, you're not technically on Team CLo but we claim you anyway. Too late, no backsies.
Forever and ever and ever we love you, Erin Service, for reading our words in their most naked forms and not laughing. Thank you, Marion Archer, for your happy flails and your critical feedback. Thank you to every blogger, Bookstragammer, Booktuber, reviewer on Goodreads, Twitter/Instagram/Facebook follower - truly, your support of our books is what makes it possible for us to write them, and at the risk of sounding trite, you make our day when you tell us that you loved something we did.
Our families make us want to stay home and travel less, so thank you to our international readers for understanding why we've slowed down a bit. And thank you to our husbands for understanding why I DON'T CARE WHAT WE HAVE FOR DINNER, JUST MAKE A DECISION is not meant to sound rude, we're just on deadline. All the time. You're the best.
PQ, you make me laugh. I heart you.
Lo, you're perfect in every way and everyone should be more like you. It's so helpful when you decide what I would write in the acknowledgments about you and then just send it to our editor. You're the best.
