Revenge of the Sluts

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I've been dreaming about writing an acknowledgments page for a book since I was seven years old, and to actually be writing one now is nothing short of surreal.

First, I absolutely must thank the team at Wattpad Books for all of the support they've offered. They saw something special in Revenge of the Sluts and, despite having written an entire novel, I still don't have the words to articulate how thankful I am. To Deanna, Monica, Samantha, Jen, Robyn, and everyone else behind the scenes, I owe this all to you.

Also a huge thank you to my parents, my brothers, my family, for being just as excited about this book as I am. And also for not being too openly shocked by the title. Sorry I didn't mention I was writing a novel until I got a book deal.

Additional love to my friends and girlfriend who have supported me, listened to me, carried me through this. I literally cannot thank you enough. Your patience is worth everything. Maddie, Matt, Aidan, Anna, Brian, Ian, Trainor, so many other people who I told about this book (and took me out for drinks to celebrate the publication announcement): I love you. Moth Manor lives on in our hearts.

I also literally owe this novel to Ivey, my Wattpad wife, the first and best friend I met through Wattpad, and one of my actual, real-life best friends. You've stuck with me from the very beginning. I don't know if you actually believed ROTS would get somewhere or not, but you supported me regardless and it means so much to me. Thank you for reading all of my frantic texts, for being my first reader, for boosting ROTS so much and making me feel like I could do this.

To my very first editors, Jenn and Olivia, who read through the earliest drafts of this book (edits that almost definitely helped me win a 2018 Watty), even with classwork and article editing and real life happening: thank you.

To my Wattpad readers who followed me here: thank you. One of my favorite things about Wattpad is watching readers engage with the material in live time and I read all of your feedback, all of your comments theorizing over who Eros is, all of your debating in the comments. Thank you for supporting ROTS and for all of the kindness in announcing publication. I hope all of the changes to the original (and there have been a lot—I won't lie) are good changes.

And, additionally, because I wrote (and edited and prepared to publish) this book while I was still an undergraduate, I owe huge thank-yous to the University of Delaware faculty, staff, and coworkers who have supported me through so much:

Kristin B, it was because of you that I gained the courage to actually talk about ROTS to people offline. Your support and genuine belief in what I'm capable of means so much.

Santhi, thank you for being a driving force in figuring out what I want to do. I have learned so much from you already, both in and out of classrooms. ROTS would not have been so bold, so self-aware, and so big, had it not been for you. An additional thanks for advising me and being so understanding during the absolutely ridiculous endeavor of editing this book while working on my senior thesis.

Ellen, you always lumped ROTS in with all of the other academically-focused work I was doing and I'm really appreciative of that. It was never seen as a burden to have to work around publishing deadlines. Thank you for believing in me from the first class I took with you.

To my Special Collections family: I love you all so much. I'm sorry for spending so many hours clocked-in editing ROTS. Looking forward to donating a copy so I can get it added to the collection, just for the sake of saying I did it.

To The Review staff, past, present, and future: you are the driving force behind this novel. My two years on staff inspired so much of this book. I hope I did it justice.

To my fellow SOS advocates: I learned everything I know from you. My four years spent with you were heartbreaking and challenging and life changing and empowering. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm so proud of everything that you have all done and accomplished, and thank you for making me, me.

And, because I'm a girl connected to her hometown and I'm writing this down the street from my old elementary school, thank you to the teachers who supported me as a kid. I still have all of your notes. I still remember being individually introduced to a visiting author because you all saw how much time I spent writing in my notebooks. I think of you all fondly and still remember you by name and face.

And to the loved ones who aren't here to see this, I love you. I miss you. Rest easy.

To the people who are reading this, who relate in ways to the Nudegate Girls that might be too painful to admit—you are brave. You are loved. Your stories are the momentum for change.

To the journalists, either aspiring or currently working in a newsroom, reading this: you fucking rock. Journalism, and the public, needs you. Keep going, keep fighting. Whether you are a Ronnie or Eden or Kolton or Jeremy or Bree or Julia or whomever else you relate to, your voice is so important.

There are also places of significance that I feel like I should thank, considering I've emotionally bonded this novel to them: the second floor of Smith Hall, the Writing Center in Morris Library, where I finished the first ever draft of ROTS, the offices of Special Collections (specifically, the desk near the typewriter), The Review office, the bedroom floor of my campus housing where I got the call confirming Wattpad Books was publishing ROTS, the big Moth Manor couch, my childhood bedroom.

To the music of significance to this book, Tchaikovsky, Harry Styles, Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, the Funny Girl soundtrack, Fiona Apple who helped write the Slut Squad, and so many others for keeping me company during lonely periods of writing and editing.

I also have to shout out Veronica Mars, the show that made me realize I didn't have to choose between writing a social commentary and a mystery, and that teen girls are so, so badass. I still have your early seasons on DVD so I can do my yearly rewatch. So much of my teen angst was given a voice through you. Thank you.

And, finally, to the reader who has so patiently read through my ramblings—thank you for reading Revenge of the Sluts. Thank you for believing in me enough to give this book a chance. Revenge of the Sluts has been cathartic for me to write and edit, and I hope reading it had the same effect on you.