Acknowledgments

Many thanks to everyone at Kensington who has been so amazing
to me about celebrating this book and the trilogy, especially Peter
Senftleben, curmudgeonly editor extraordinaire; Vida Engstrand,
delightful diva of communications; Jane Nutter, a paragon of a
publicist; and Rebecca Cremonese, for being such a dedicated,
enthusiastic caretaker of the pages and the story. If anyone gets to
dinner & movie Ash, it will be you.
Everlasting gratitude to my critique partners: Marcella Burnard
and Carolyn Crane, for the insightful, under-pressure reads and
tireless support.
Thanks to my longtime friend, Marin Untiedt, who taught me
to value knitting, gave me what I needed to know, and would
probably be very much like this.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the incredible
reviewers and readers who loved The Mark of the Tala and
immediately demanded this book. I hope you all like
Amelia’s story, too.
Finally, thanks to my family for being the love and balance
in my life.
And always, to David, for all the little things, every day.