First shout-outs go to my team, very international this go-round: Canada, Spain, Austria and St Louis.
Annetta "Netta the Eddita" Ribken is my rock. She has been there for me any time I've needed an ear, a reassuring hand on my shoulder, or a slap upside the head. If you need an editor, hire her. You Will Not Be Sad. Her website: http://www.wordwebbing.com/
MCM is still Canadian. Canadians still have free health care and ISBNs, and it still annoys me. I hear that may be changing. I hope not. It's a good kind of annoyed to know at least some working people get to share in the bounty all around us. MCM typeset the paperback and formatted the ebook, which is why they're beautiful. His website: http://www.1889.ca/
Alice Fox could not play with us this time, but her terrific character studies and cover design for book one helped make this series what it is. Get better, Alice: http://alicefox.net/
Beatriz González stepped in for Alice and did a great job with the book cover, staying true to the look Alice established while still giving it her own stamp. Check out her eye-popping portfolio: http://www.beagonzalez.com
Robert Altbauer made the map, building on an incomplete atlas-style map I eked out with the help of the generous folks at the Cartographers' Guild. His portfolio: http://www.fantasy-map.net
My Non-Existent Beta Group consists of readers who've been with me a very, very long time. They suffered through a lot of alpha writing this go-round and caught some truly horrendous conflicts, canon violations and so on, not even counting typos and editing artifacts: Northwoodsman, Daniel Gudlat, Manoki, Katie, V, TheBoy, kawaiikune and my best friend Anhata. You are my patient darlings. Special thanks as always: to Daniel for help with the wiki, without which I couldn't keep canon straight; to Northwoodsman for plotting out the original Tremontine calendar, without which I literally cannot write the books; and to Manoki, without whom this series would not have been necessary.
Elizabeth Barrial of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab makes perfumes and ritual oils that help me create. I will always be grateful to her for literally leading me by the nose out of a long, unhappy exile back into the sensual world of color, texture, scent, movement and creativity.
My mother is proud of me for writing, even though she can't read the History series. I love you, Mama, and I'll write something PG-13 you can read real soon.
I'm writing this a few hours after the Kickstarter pre-sale for this book closed. I asked for $1,500.
I got $5,250.
Last book, 48 people backed it via pre-sales at my website. This time, between website pre-sales and Kickstarter a total of 138 people backed me—nearly three times the number last time.
This book is for the backers, but three others take precedence. My beautiful girls put up with a helluva lot from their scribbling mother; Josie and Louisa, you are the best daughters a writing mother ever had. And John, my husband, I love you so much it's not even funny; thank you for loving me and supporting my work.
In alphabetical order, the backers who gave to have their names included in these acknowledgments:
Anna, aka the paradox
Alyxe Barron
Erica "Irk" Bercegeay
Blw1104
Brandon, aka V
Matthew Bryan
Wendi Burke
Katrina C.
Stormy C.
Narel Cantatrice
capriox bovidae
Catseyes
Cam Collins
Coral
Charissa Cotrill, Mayor of Freedonia
Rhel ná DecVandé
DixieHellcat
Tristan W Dixon
Andrea Doucette
Jeff Dow
TeKiesha Elliott
Patricia Engel
eric the girl
Flynnrt
Justine di Giovanni
Daniel Gudlat
Laureril
Lawrence Evalyn
Rachel Feldman, aka BCT
Garfield
Jeremy Philip Garnett
HannahP
Glenn Herbert
Nevin Hillegass
M.K. Hobson
Amanda Horetski
IridiumFlash
Samantha James
Kaleb
Kate, aka kalinkadink
Klio
Krey
Priscilla L.
David Lewis
Katherine Liu
Manoki
MCM
Sean Manning
Mel
Clare K. R. Miller
Jesper Wied Møller
Brian Moon
Briana Morey
Northwoodsman
Ofydd
Karen P-M
Becky Puritz
Rafante
Magdalena S.
Samaris
Saudadina
Scarth
Amanda Schloss
Sarah Schumacher
Jim Sheppard, aka @JeVoudraisCake
Sherinik
Chris Shull
Leslie Sinak
Timothy J Stegner
Stormy, Official Spokesmodel of MeiLinMiranda.com
Erinn Streeter
Becka Sutton
Anhata "A" Szot
TheBoy
Tolovana
Stephanie Travellyr
Vandole
Vortacist
Rachel "rho" Walmsley
Jennifer Wamsley, aka tigger
Whimbrel
Stephen Williams
Vella Williams
Brandy Winteler
Kate Woolard
…and thanks to you for reading this book.