Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton

Acknowledgments

DHONIELLE CLAYTON

This book was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world paused and we all felt like we were in a metaphorical blackout, fumbling around in the dark, trying to make sense of everything happening around us. But out of the chaos came this light, this beautiful little love, our novel. I am grateful for this tether of creativity when death and uncertainty swirled around me.

First, I’d like to thank my niece, Riley Clayton, who inspired the entire idea. If it weren’t for our marathon movie watching/TV binging, and you asking me why Black girls didn’t get big love stories, this book wouldn’t exist. Thanks for giving your aunt a challenge. I hope I continue to rise and meet every one of them. I love you, kid. You are one of my heart chambers.

To my ladies: Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon, you made my dreams come true. Thank you for your trust, for your hearts, for your time, for your talent, and for your willingness to jump headfirst into the dark with me. We made beautiful light together. It will see me through for a long, long time. This experience has been the highlight of my career. I am so happy to be leaving behind this book in the world with you all.

To Molly Ker Hawn: Thank you for being a dream maker with a lion heart. Your leadership, your wisdom, and your spirit helped make sure this book found its place. Thank you for taking such great care of me—of us.

To Mary Pender: You are the best partner in crime. Thank you for all that you do. You are a magic maker!

To Rosemary Brosnan: This editorial experience has been so amazing. You pushed me and made me dig deep. My writing has been transformed by your touch and wisdom. Thank you for the push.

To the Harper team: Suzanne Murphy, Erin Fitzsimmons, Courtney Stevenson, Ebony LaDelle, Patty Rosati, Audrey Diestelkamp, and team. Thank you for all that you’ve done for this book. It takes an army to launch a book, and I’m so happy to have this squad behind us.

To Mom and Dad: Thank you for the endless support, the wisdom, the food, the care. You listen to every complaint, soothe every wound, and breathe life into every dream. I wouldn’t be me if you weren’t you. I’m forever grateful to have witnessed your love for each other (and felt your love for me) so that I may write love into my work.

To the superhero librarians of the New York Public Library—Louise Lareau, Jenny Rosenoff, and Sue Yee: Thank you for your detailed insight, which helped make this story as accurate as it can be. You are the titans of our society. I feel proud to be one of you. I know the Children’s Center moved right as this book was being written, and I appreciate your help in making this dreamy little love story work despite that. Thanks for the troubleshooting.

To the readers: Thank you for the support and I hope you keep your heart open to receive all the love the universe has in store for you.

TIFFANY D. JACKSON

I’d like to thank the captain of our ship, Dhonielle, for forcing convincing me to do this, even when I said this wasn’t my lane. You always manage to help me believe in myself. To the Squad, I’m sorry for my “bright” idea to split up my story, which of course created more work for us all, but it came together beautifully. To Rosemary Brosnan, I’m sure it took a lot to wrangle us all, but you did it effortlessly, like a true Queen. To Molly Ker Hawn and Mary Pender, thanks for all that you do and continue to do. To my family, I love you. To that heffa COVID, you brought us together, but I’m fighting you on sight. And to NYC, you will always be my first love.

ANGIE THOMAS

God, thank you for getting me through 2020, and thank you for the bright spot that was working on this book during that roller coaster of a year.

Dhonielle the queen, thank you for lovingly dragging me into this and challenging my drama-loving self to write a love story. It’s an honor to be a part of something so special. To the ladies, I’m so happy to create this beautiful book with you. Because of us, Black kids will know that they deserve the biggest love stories too. To Molly Ker Hawn and Mary Pender, thanks for being our rocks on this journey and making sure this book was taken care of. Rosemary, thank you for making us dig deep to ensure this story is the best it can be. To the amazing Harper team, thank you for holding us down. To my mom, Julia, you’re the real MVP. And to the readers: I hope you find the love you deserve. Your own story awaits.

NIC STONE

First, to Dhonielle Clayton: Thank you for coming up with this harebrained idea and inviting me along for the ride. You da best. The Mollies: Molly Ker Hawn and Mollie Glick: Obviously agents with your name get s*** DONE. To Rosemary Brosnan: Thank you for taking a chance on us with this thing, and for whipping it into shape. To Jay Coles, Terry J. Benton-Walker, and Julian Winters: Your insights into this very much not #OwnVoice story (for me) were utterly invaluable, and I appreciate you all more than I could ever express. Pete Forester: Shout-out to you for helping my Southern ass get the NYC stuff right. To Nigel Livingstone: Again, you created the space and time for me to work. Even in the thick of a global pandemic. And to Michael Bonner: Much appreciation for allowing me to turn your delightfully quiet living room into my kid-free office so I could get this joint written. Love you all!

ASHLEY WOODFOLK

Writing a book like this one was a dream come true. I got to work with some of my closest writer friends on a book unlike any I’ve ever read, but that is somehow also something I’ve been passively looking and longing for, for years. It wouldn’t have been possible without Dhonielle roping us all into it, and I’ll forever cherish the hours of brainstorming, the group text chain where we chatted about book stuff but also, literally everything else. So thanks to D (and the rest of the Blackout Bunch) for going on this adventure and inviting me along. Big thanks to my agent, Beth, for fielding millions of questions and answering all my panicky texts, and to our fearless leader, Molly Ker Hawn, who none of this would have been possible without. Thank you to Rosemary Brosnan for seeing something special in each of our stories, and working to shape them while appreciating and celebrating their differences. This book was a light in the middle of a very dark year, one that felt a bit like a blackout in lots of ways, and I’ll be forever grateful to have been a part of its revolutionary joy.

NICOLA YOON

In the history of years, 2020 was the absolute longest. Still, there were bright spots, and getting to write this book with five of the most talented and fearless authors working was one of them. Thanks so much to Angie, Ashley, Dhonielle, Nic, and Tiffany for all their brilliance and imagination. Extra, extra special thanks to our fearless leader, Dhonielle, for roping us all into this project with her incredible idea. Her passion and dedication are boundless. Thanks to our wonderful editor, Rosemary Brosnan, for whipping our stories into shape, and to super agents Molly Ker Hawn and Mary Pender for whipping our deals into shape. Huge thanks to my indefatigable agent, Jodi Reamer, for always knowing all the things. And, of course, thanks to the loves of my life, David and Penny, just for being. You guys are always my brightest spots.