I’ve been very lucky to return to Maren’s story with many of the same people who helped shepherd Shatter the Sky into the world. Particular thanks are owed to Catherine Laudone, who put up with a whole lot of deadline-related anguish and helped turn Storm the Earth from a very messy Word document into an actual book, with an actual plot. Thank you again to the team at Simon & Schuster BFYR, including Justin Chanda, Milena Giunco, Katrina Groover, Emily Hutton, Brian Luster, Bara MacNeill, Martha Hanson, Charlton Villavelez, Chloë Foglia and cover artist Olivier Ponsonnet. And thank you to Catherine Ho, the wonderful audiobook narrator of Shatter the Sky.
Thank you to Rebecca Podos, who always fields my existential writing crises with patience and encouragement. And to my dear writing group friends, who have not yet gotten sick of me: Greg Batcheler, Heather Goss, Clarissa Hadge, and Kate Mikell.
Thank you to the following authors who took the time to read and blurb Shatter the Sky: Dahlia Adler, Melissa Bashardoust, Rin Chupeco, Audrey Coulthurst, Kate Elliott, Tessa Gratton, Mackenzi Lee, Saundra Mitchell, and Nancy Werlin. Now that I’m constantly on deadline, I appreciate your generosity at least five times as much. Special thanks to Dahlia Adler and LGBTQ Reads, for being such an invaluable pillar of support for queer literature, children’s and otherwise. Thank you as well to the authors who took the time to join me at book events: Heidi Heilig, Rory Power, Gabe Cole, Sara Farizan, Elizabeth Fama, Megan Whalen Turner, and Ryan La Sala.
Books, particularly debuts, do not succeed without the enthusiasm and support of the bookselling community. I have been overwhelmed by the way you have embraced Shatter the Sky. A million thanks to the committee that selected Shatter the Sky as an Indies Introduce pick, especially Sami Thomasen and Casey Leidig (an extra special thanks to Casey for naming Piera, empress of Zefed!). Thank you so, so much to the indie bookstore community that chose Shatter the Sky as an Indies Next pick, especially Nichole Cousins for her wonderful blurb. My love and gratitude to the following booksellers and bookstores: Nicole Brinkley, Abby Rauscher, Stephanie Heinz, Abby Rice, Avery Peregrine, Michael Lasagna, Candice Huber, Tildy Banker-Johnson, Chris Abouzeid, Paul Swydan, Shana Hausman, Porter Square Books, Belmont Books, Print: A Bookstore, Oblong Books & Music, Books of Wonder, Kepler’s Books, R. J. Julia Booksellers, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Books are Magic, Tubby & Coo’s, and Hicklebee’s. Thank you to every bookseller or reader who has picked up Shatter the Sky and recommended it to someone else. I appreciate every single one of you.
Finally, I could not do what I do without the support and love of my family. And Martin—thank you for always believing in me.