My deepest gratitude goes to all those who helped this book, and me, reach this point. Thanks to all my friends who are characters enough to fill an epic series: Ed, Gabe, Ned, Kenda, Mike, Dustin, Casey, and Kristin. To the editors and staff at The Editorial Department: Renni, Shannon, Peter, Ross, and Jane, thanks for giving me the confidence to make the story my own. Susan E. Kennedy, MFA, thank you for your hard work and insight in polishing the story and characters and making them shine. Thank you to Rebecca Lucash and everyone at HarperCollins for your work in bringing it across the finish line in such a short period of time and so spectacularly! Thanks to my agent, Margaret Bail, for your hard work and support. Last but not least, my deepest thanks to Dr. Deborah Hayden, junior research fellow at Christ Church, for her assistance with the Irish language translations.