Acknowledgments

Massive thanks to my amazing editor, Beth Meacham. I think every writer thanks their editor for “taking a chance on this manuscript,” but in this case it’s more apt than ever, folks, because the first draft Beth saw was ROUGH, and she saw something worth smoothing. Huge thanks to everyone at Tor.com who helped midwife the Starfire Trilogy and get the word out, and to Sparth for the awesome cover. Thanks to the super-agent Sara Megibow, who is always there for every question, and always fighting to get the book into the hands of readers. Not just agent. Super-agent.

Huge thanks as well to Cascade Writers, the best damn writing workshop in the world, that introduced me to said agent and editor.

A very special lumbering two-ton mammoth of THANK-YOU to Langley Hyde, who has been the number one beta reader and number one idea bouncer for Starfire, always coming up with ways to BIGGERIFY the story. You probably deserve a cowriting credit, but for now I hope you’ll settle for a latte and a muffin on Sunday morning.

Special credit to my dad, who read just about every story from Super Tiger to this one, and cheered them all on. Thanks, Pop. Thanks also to my sisters, brothers and my mother for the stories they’ve read and the encouragement they’ve given me over twenty years. Finally, all credit goes to Chrissy, Adia, Sam & Brigitta. Your love fuels every word.