Trafficked (29 page)

Thank you . . .

To my husband, Gavin, who believed in this book from the beginning and, most importantly, believed in me.

To my daughters, who provided the inspiration for the children in this book, and who give me so much joy and laughter every day.

To my sisters, Tara and Jenn, my dad, and my mom for their loving support.

To my cousin, Charlotte Dubec, who let me stay with her in Moldova, introduced me to her Moldovan friends, and helped me in endless ways with this book.

To my agent, Kate Lee, for her wonderful notes on draft after draft of this book and for reading it more times than any reasonable writer would hope for.

To my editor, Kendra Levin, for recognizing the promise in this book and the need for people, especially teens, to read a book about modern-day domestic slavery, and for challenging me to stretch myself as a writer.

To writer Jennifer Castle, for reading three drafts (or more) of this book, for giving amazing feedback, and for being such a wonderful friend.

To my early readers and fellow writers Susan Merson, Barbara Bottner, Justine Lambert, Kenneth Nowell, J. R. Hevron, Anna Van Lenten, Molly Castelloe, Dara Schlissel, Delina Codey, Kathryn Purcell, Jake Purcell, Florine Gingerich, Elif Cercil, and Tali Noimann, who gave me wonderful feedback at various stages of this book.

To John Rechy, whose writing workshop and lessons on suspense have been unforgettable.

To Keren Taylor and WriteGirl, who empower teen girls and give them the strength to avoid exploitation and who encouraged me to write this book in the beginning.

To Gurmukh Kalsa, who taught me more than anyone else about how someone overcomes fear.

To the many housekeepers, nannies, Russians, and Moldovans I interviewed for this book, including Ally Fedorov, Vladimir Wexler, Adelina Castillo Garcia, Viorica Damian, Aksana Plotnikava, Alina Radeanu, and Elvira Rusalova-Robles.

To all the nonprofit agencies that combat trafficking, especially La Strada, the Salvation Army, and Safe Horizon, for aiding in my research and for helping so many people like Hannah.