What You Left Behind - Jessica Verdi Page 0,101

for being interested in cancer research and women’s rights (and all kinds of other good stuff) and sending me the article that sparked Ryden and Meg’s story.

Thank you to my mother, Susan Miller, to whom this book is dedicated, for being the inspiration for the wonderful parents in this book. And huge thanks as well to the rest of my family: Jim Verdi, Robert and Alyssa Verdi, my nephew Jacob, and John Miller.

Kate McKean, thank you for being such a smart, insistent, cheerleader agent. Ryden never would have gotten to where he is without you.

To my editor Annette Pollert-Morgan, I’m so thrilled/honored/lucky that you “got” this story. Your faith and support throughout this journey, and the fact that you fell in love with Ryden at first sight, has meant everything.

To the incredible Sourcebooks Fire team—Kate Prosswimmer, Katy Lynch, Elizabeth Boyer, Jillian Bergsma, Sabrina Baskey, Heather Moore, Alex Yeadon, Todd Stocke, Dominique Raccah, and my cover designer, Jeanine Henderson—THANK YOU for all you do.

Sarah Ketchersid, thank you for discussing this book so long ago over beers and saying, “What if she’s already dead at the start of the book?”

Big, big shout-out to everyone at the New School, the Lucky 13s, the Binders Full of YA Writers, and all the awesome book bloggers.

Here comes the long list! Thank you to all the people I can always count on to come to my parties and buy my books and give me notes and just be all around cool and supportive: Alison Cherry, Bridget Burke, Carolyn Demisch, Caron Levis, Casey Cipriani, Colleen Mathis, Connie Kiselak, Cristin Whitley, Cynthia Farina, Dahlia Adler, David Levithan, Debra Tackney, Dhonielle Clayton, Frank Scallon, Kevin Joinville, Laurie Boyle-Crompton, Lindsay Ribar, Mary G. Thompson, Michael Armstrong, Mindy Raf, Nicole Lisa, Renia Shukis, Riddhi Parekh, Roseanne Almanzar, Sarah Doudna, Sona Charaipotra, Steven Shaw, Victoria Marano.

Four people in particular read this book more than anyone else and offered such insanely amazing advice, I don’t know what I’d do without them. Alyson Gerber, you are my hard work and perseverance guru. Caela Carter, your positivity and talent are truly inspiring. Corey Ann Haydu, each thing you do impresses me more than the last. And Amy Ewing, you’re not just a crazy-talented writer and amazing friend, you are my rock. Thank you all for being you.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I concluded without mentioning my author idol, Ned Vizzini. Your work has been such a huge inspiration for me, and as far as I’m concerned, you will forever be the master of writing about tough subjects in an honest, unafraid, sometimes serious, sometimes not way. Thank you. We miss you.

Thank you for reading!

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The Summer I Wasn't Me

Jessica Verdi

Lexi has a secret.

She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good.

Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and there’s nothing she wants more than to start over. But sometimes love has its own path…

Praise for The Summer I Wasn’t Me:

“A powerful indictment of reparative therapy—a sweet love story—and an unforgettable main character!”

—Nancy Garden, author of Annie on My Mind

“Verdi has offered an uncomfortable, but realistic, journey into conversion (or reparative) therapy programs. This title is recommended as a quality piece of fiction in a teen collection, and especially as part of an LGBTQ collection.”

—VOYA

My Life After Now

Jessica Verdi

What now?

Lucy just had the worst week ever. And suddenly, it’s all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a whole new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of.

And now her life will never be the same. Now, how will she be able to have a boyfriend? What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family? Now, every moment is a precious gift. She never thought being positive could be so negative. But now, everything’s different…because now she’s living with HIV.

Praise for My Life After Now:

“Debut author Verdi paints Lucy’s devastation and her tangled emotions with honestly and compassion…telling Lucy’s story with realism and hope.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Verdi forces her readers to face Lucy’s dilemma with unflinching honestly and unfaltering compassion. A gem of a novel.”

—RT Book Reviews, 4½ Stars, Top Pick of the Month

About the Author

Jessica Verdi lives in Brooklyn, New York, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. She seeks out good stories and finds inspiration from the people she meets and her travels around the world. Jessica is also the author of My Life After Now and The Summer I Wasn’t Me. Visit her at jessicaverdi.com and follow her on Twitter @jessverdi.