Dedication

To Lauren, without whom this book never would have happened.

Acknowledgements

I am eternally indebted to my beta readers, especially those who were with me in the early drafts. Thank you to Seth, who helped make Nicholas a real live boy; to Amber, Glory, and Liz, who slogged through draft zero even though it made their eyes bleed; to Casey and Shannon, who helped me streamline; and to Letty, who helped me work through problematic dialogue.

 

Perhaps most importantly, thank you to my beta co-op group over in 17th Shard for going through each chapter with a fine-toothed comb. You are an amazing group of people, and I’m grateful to have met you.