I started writing Poison Forest after I had nearly given up on inclusion in the publishing industry as a neurodivergent LGBTQ+ author. I completed it during the year the world turned upside down. This made me reevaluate my relationship to writing forever. But before things went quite so mad, my time and life were primarily taken up by this work, and I would not have completed this book without the support, work, and belief of the following people:

Aden Polydoros, who I met through YA4YA and Fran from Author Mentor Match, I appreciate you both for your advice and faith in this story. Anyone would be lucky to have you as writing mentors and I’m so glad I was able to benefit from your abilities and encouragement. 

Beta readers, critique partners, and bookstagrammers Jennifer Ridge, Tiffanie Kelley, Sam Land, Erica Waters, Patrick Wolfgang, Allison Darcy, and Coryl Addy. 

Cherrita Lee and Jennia Herold D’Lima for editing the manuscript, and Emily Wright for proofreading. 

Thanks to MaryBeth Dalto-McCarthy, Laynie Bynum, Kristin Jacques, and the rest of the team at Sword and Silk Books for giving me the chance to put this story out into the world and for putting up with my terrible executive dysfunction regarding correspondence. Thanks to Celin Chen for bringing Thedra to life so beautifully on the cover.

I’d like to acknowledge a few of my pals from before I left Twitter: Amanda Terry, who humored me by reading a very early draft of this novel, and whose presence was a positive light in that strange place. Jess Hardy, thank you for your wonderful humor and for commiserating with me so often about querying woes. Royal Montgomery, thank you for existing, I miss you and your art terribly. I know there were many more writers and creatives who supported me there, but I’m afraid their names have fled my memory, so I simply extend a general thank you. 

To my partner of ten years, George, for listening to me ramble about characters and plot points and sob over agent rejections. But thank you most of all for seeing my worth outside my creative endeavors, always. 

Finally, much gratitude to everyone who understands why the resolution of this story makes sense more than a love triangle where one person is chosen over another. There are so many ways to choose ourselves and the ones we love.