Ending a series is like completing a marathon. Not that I’ve ever run a marathon—or run at all outside of mandatory gym classes—but in my mind, they’re much the same. Painful and difficult, but ultimately rewarding efforts that take a physical and mental toll and yield benefits that last a lifetime.
Getting to the final chapter of the final book in the series I began eight years ago is like no other accomplishment I’ve ever achieved. It wasn’t very long ago that I couldn’t conceive how anyone could complete a whole novel. Now, I’ve written four fairly long ones—though looking back, I’m still not sure how I got to the finish line. Certainly, it wasn’t accomplished without a small army of people along the route, cheering me on.
Huge thanks to my writing community and every critique partner and beta reader who has helped me shape my words, including the homies Nakeesha Seneb, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Denny S. Bryce, and Ivy Spadille.
To Danielle Poiesz, who never fails to ask the questions I hadn’t thought of, even when I’ve tried to think of everything. She always makes my writing more coherent and has improved my craft exponentially over the years.
To my agent, Sara Megibow, who is a constant source of knowledge, encouragement, insight, and optimism. I’m very grateful to be a part of the crew.
To my team at St. Martin’s Press, including Meghan Harrington, Beatrice Jason, Mara Delgado Sánchez, and everyone whose name I don’t know: I deeply appreciate all of your efforts to bring my words to the world.
And to my editor, Monique Patterson, whose support and belief in me and my work has been life-changing.
To the readers, the bloggers and tweeters and Bookstagrammers, everyone who has read and enjoyed and shared my stories, along with all of My Imaginary Friends—I owe you all of my gratitude. I would be a tree on the ground in the forest with no one to know or care without you all.
To the singer Jamila Woods for the LEGACY! LEGACY! album, which was the soundtrack of my life during the writing process of this novel and whose words and music made the presence of the ancestors clearer in my mind.
And finally, to my family. My brother, my mother, my father (whose presence never fades), and my husband, who all surround me with love and support. They allow me to delve into the dark places where creativity sometimes takes me and make it possible for me to leave it all on the page when I emerge.