Acknowledgments

This book would not exist without many people, but first among them is Pat Maughan, who gathered us on my apartment floor on the day before Halloween to play a game of children pulled into a world of dark magic and monsters. That game was the seed from which Thirteens grew, so first of all: thank you, Pat. And a big thanks as well to the rest of the gaming crew: Mathew Murakami, Michelle Mallett, Andy Smith, member-at-large Thomas Kimmel, and my husband, Mike Marshall.

Secondly, I have to thank the two miscreants who convinced me to take the notes in the back of my notebook and actually write the dang book: Natalie C. Parker and Katherine Arden, thank you for sharing a wild, plane-hopping week with me and inspiring me with your fiction and with your friendship. You are both brilliant. We totally should have gotten those matching tattoos.

And then I have to thank Mike again, for watching our two-year-old during the five intense days of writing the first draft. Also, thanks to the King County court system for supplying the jury summons that forced me to sit in a room with no toddler and nothing to do but write for two days.

Then come those who looked at that lumpy draft and helped shape it into something resembling an actual book. The No Name Writing Group was instrumental, as always, so thank you to Shanna Germain, Erin M. Evans, Susan Morris, Rhiannon Held, Monte Cook, and Corry L. Lee. My agent, Lisa Rodgers, helped me break the book and glue it back together. And my editor, Maggie Rosenthal, had the insights and experience to truly transform the manuscript into something we all adore.

At that point, a whole host of new people got involved to turn Thirteens from a manuscript into a real book. I am fortunate to have once again had the masterful Dana Li heading up the cover design, with Sara Kipin’s gorgeous illustration bringing Pip, Otto, and Eleanor to life. Thank you also to Kate Renner for the interior design, and to copyeditors Marinda Valenti, Krista Ahlberg, and Vivian Kirklin. And thank you to Kaitlin Kneafsey, my publicist, for all your hard work getting Thirteens out to its readers.

Thank you to all of you who helped along the way. And seriously, Pat: this would never have happened without you, and without that game. Happy Halloween, and happy birthday.