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E KOMO MAI.

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E KOMO MAI.

A very special mahalo nui loa to the Boston Globe, the Horn Book, and the Boston Globe--Horn Book Award committee for bestowing this great honor upon Lord of the Deep. If I had a glass of smooth Merlot, I'd raise it in toast to all the writers out there struggling to put something meaningful into words. It's a worthy endeavor, and I salute you.

This is an extraordinary moment. That I became a writer is almost laughable. I didn't read as a kid. I surfed and dreamed about girls all of my teenage years. In college, I flunked English-twice. I sat in the back row in every class I ever took, trying to stay awake.

Fortunately, I caught on to learning, and graduated with honors--which utterly amazed me.

At age thirty, I caught the reading bug, and my life changed in a major way: I wanted to write. So I did, and I do, with help from my team.

My family is the most important part of my team, because without the warmth, understanding, love, and stability of normal family life, I'd be nothing but pulp. They've lived with space-dad, raveling-dad, workaholic-dad, and, sometimes, very-happy-dad. I can't say I didn't get any complaints, but I always got the time and space I needed to do my work. My family is my rock.

Then there's my publisher. I've been with Delacorte Press for my entire career, and I've been advised and guided by a host of supportive and responsive professionals. We're a team.

I'd especially like to thank Terry Borzumato, Adrienne Waintraub, Ashley Caro, Judith Haut, Melanie Chang, Andrew Smith, Beverly Horowitz, Michelle Poploff, and Chip Gibson, our good-natured leader....