The Summer I Drowned (Wattpad Books Edition)

Acknowledgments

Sometime in 2018, I purchased a candle by the name of "Sea Glass"— something that would eventually inspire me to write a story with sea glass somewhere in it, a story I'm now proud to call my debut novel. Don't ask me how the simple name of a candle could inspire a psychological thriller about serial killers and mental health, but here we are. Thank you, candle!

To Meg, who has seen the best and absolute worst of my writing: thank you. You've done more for me than I can ever express. Just having someone as talented and intelligent as you believe in me all these years has kept me afloat, so really, I can't thank you enough.

To my parents and my sister, for helping me become who I am and giving me the space to learn and grow. I wouldn't be who I am today without you, even though I kept my writing a secret from you for so long. Thank you for supporting me and being there!

To Deanna, Monica, Leah, Taylor, Ashleigh, Jen, and everyone at Wattpad and Wattpad Books who took a chance on my story: this experience has been invaluable, and I hope we can continue to work together and accomplish great things. To Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen: thank you for creating such a fantastic app and providing so many opportunities for young writers.

To all the friends I've made on Wattpad over the years: Meg, Kell, Lynn, Stef, and Katelyn (West's biggest fangirl), and everyone else I've interacted with along the way: thank you all so much, you've all played a role in my writing, whether we just chatted for a while or exchanged reads. I'll always be grateful to you.

And lastly, to my Wattpad readers, to everyone who has supported me online and read my stories: you know who you are, and "thank you" doesn't express how grateful I am. I wouldn't be here without you.

I hope to see you next time.