I owe thanks to so many people—first and foremost my wonderful editor, Pam Gruber, who saw the promise in this idea and has made working on this book such a pleasure. Thanks also to my agent, Diana Fox, to my assistants, Erin Gross and Melissa Jolly, and to my family: Mom, Dad, Matthew, Melissa, Eli, and Ari. In all honesty I should probably also thank Ba Chi Canteen for providing the immense amounts of pho required to fuel me through this project; and Madeline Nelson, Stephanie Nelson, and Marti Dumas for being willing to go to Ba Chi with me that many times. As ever, thanks to Edy Moulton, Ruth Morrison, and Rodney Crouther for listening to all my crazy plot ideas, and Dr. Whitney Raju for patiently talking me through the medical implications of each one. Finally, all the love to the good people of Octavia Books in New Orleans. (If you want a signed copy of any of my books, visit them online! They can take care of that for you.)