This book would not be in your hands if it were not for the CamCat team who supported it. Thank you Sue Arroyo for continuing to allow my dream to be a reality. To Bridget McFadden and Helga Schier, thank you for pushing me when I needed it. I was not easy to work with, so know your patience was much appreciated. To all of those behind the scenes, thank you: Maryann, Maia, Bill, Laura, and the many others.
Thank you to Cassandra Farrin for everything you did with Daughter of the Salt King, as it carried so heavily into the second, and thank you for all you did with Son of the Salt Chaser.
The biggest thank you must be reserved for my husband. I began drafting this book two weeks after my daughter was born. Never again do I want to write a book on a deadline with a newborn! This was the hardest thing I have ever done, and it would not have been possible if my husband had not been so incredibly supportive. Words cannot do my gratitude justice.
An author in the sequel slog can only be fueled on imagination for so long. After a while, the encouragement and support of fans proves to be much more effective at providing momentum. To every reader who raved about Daughter of the Salt King, who reached out to tell me how much my book meant to them, who forced it into their friends’ hands—thank you, thank you, thank you.
To my Veterinary Moms Book Club crew: Your fangirling and relentless support often brought me happy tears (often after I was crying frustrated tears) and gave me the nudge I needed to keep going.
How lucky I am to have found you all.