ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always—to my agent Rebecca Podos for nearly a decade of support and trust. From the highest of peaks to rock bottom and back again—thank you for always being there.

My endless gratitude and appreciation to Joe Monti and to my editor, Amara Hoshijo, for being stalwart champions of this oddball story about a boy who, vampires aside, just wanted to be loved. I wrote this book during one of the lowest points of my life, but it was they who brought it out into the sun. Thank you, Joe, for always believing. Thank you, Amara, for making everything shine.

To everyone else at Gallery and Saga who worked hard to make this a reality: my dedicated publicist, Kayleigh Webb; Caroline Pallotta, Sherry Wasserman, Kaitlyn Snowden, and Michelle Marchese for their production and design savvy; Stacey Sakal, Laura Jarrett, and M.L. Liu for their sharp eyes; and Jennifer Bergstrom, Jennifer Long, and Paul O’Halloran for helping this find its readership the world over. This book would be a mess if it wasn’t for all of you.

To all my family and friends who’ve been there since day one, especially to Andy Guzman, Laurel Monsanto, and Abby Macaraig. You are the strongest heroes I have ever been blessed to know; I am so proud to be friends with all of you and I try not to be angry anymore even though nothing about this was fair, because none of you would have wanted that. I wish you three could have read this book. Especially you, Abby. You love Castlevania and Alucard more than anyone else I’ve ever met. Let’s all meet up again one day.

For the trash writers gang who has stuck by me all these years—Sam, Pippa, Lee, Bernie, and Jessie, who’ve encouraged me ever since our cringe fanfiction-writing days when we should have known better. I hope this made you all happy to read.

And finally, to Les—who has spent many a night and day manning the fort and being my personal comforter while I worked on deadlines and tried not to self-combust. I’m not sure I would have made it without you and the kids and I am so happy to be here.