No matter how many novels I write, the acknowledgments never get easier. If anything, it becomes even harder to fit an appropriate “thank you” on the page. So many people help and support me on my writing journey that this page will never suffice to thank them all. Still, I need to thank at least a few by name:
To my husband, Michael, and my son, Christopher—you make me laugh, you bring me joy, and you support me in too many ways to mention. Thank you for every day and every smile.
To my incomparable agent, Sandra Bond, and my talented editor, Toni Kirkpatrick—it is an honor and a privilege to work with people who share my love for Hiro and my vision for these books.
To Heather Webb, thank you for your friendship, your eagle eyes, and, most importantly, for being the shoulder I lean on when the writing road gets steep and rocky. But for you, I’d never make it out of the weeds.
To Kerry Schafer, thank you for honest critiques, late-night texts, and being the kind of friend who would even help me fill a carp with bees.
To Chuck Harrelson—thank you for your friendship and for offering the all-important male perspective on my peer-review team.
To the amazing ladies of my critique group, the infamous SFWG—you are more than merely “crit partners,” and I value you more than words can express.
Thank you to everyone at Minotaur Books who helped this novel, and its brethren, become a reality. David Rotstein, Sara Pastel, Jennifer Letwack, Shailyn Tavella, and everyone else whose names I might not know—I appreciate your talents and dedication.
Thanks to my family: Paula, Spencer, Rob, Lola, Spencer (III), Anna, Matteo, Gene, Marcie, and Bob—your support, as always, gives me strength and joy.
Thank you to Joe, Master of the Interwebz, for everything from designing and maintaining my Web site to helping me figure out that the cat has reset my function keys.
Arigato gozaimasu to Tomoko Yoshihara for helping with my research about Kyoto and medieval Japan.
Thank you to Wing, Peter, Laura, Michelle, Jacob, and all of the other friends—online and off—who encourage me and support this crazy dream come true.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to every reader who joins Hiro, Father Mateo, and me for the journey within these pages.
The name on the cover is mine, but your support is what makes the adventure possible.