Wahey … do I smell a cliffhanger?

If that’s not the most pleasing of aromas to you, feel free to curse every stench under the starwheel. I’ll wait. But when you’re done, rest assured that Rakel, Ash, and many of their friends (and frenemies, and enemies) will return. I hope you will, too.

In the meantime, please know that I’m so incredibly grateful to you, dear reader. Without you—and the amazing booksellers, librarians, and reviewers who may have led you here—I would not have had the opportunity to spend as much time in Aramtesh. Your support is worth more to me than dahkai.

Every book is like a complex perfume—with so many ingredients contributing to the bouquet. This one is no different. On that note, thanks go to:

My agent, Josh Adams, the most awesome ally and advocate—I couldn’t have dreamed of a better champion for me and my books. Thank you for believing! I’m also incredibly grateful for Caroline Walsh’s wonderful support and guidance in the UK. Josh, Tracey, Cathy, Caroline and Christabel—I thank my lucky scents you’re all in my corner!

Editors extraordinaire Linas Alsenas and Mallory Kass—what can I say? From our first conversation, I knew Rakel and Ash were in safe hands. Thank you for giving this left-of-center book a home, for your engagement and patience in what’s been a truly rewarding and collaborative editorial process, and for challenging me to dig deeper to make Shadowscent the best possible version of itself.

The wider team at Scholastic UK, with special notes to: Lauren Fortune, Pete Matthews, Lorraine Keating, Emma Jobling, Antonia Pelari, and Tina Miller. Liam Drane—thank you for the shiniest cover, incorporating so many intricacies of the story and world. And Chie Nakano and Tanya Harris-Brown—I’m so grateful for your tireless work to send Ash and Rakel adventuring in other languages!

Shadowscent takes place in a secondary fantasy world. While it is impossible to escape all influences from our own world, Aramtesh is not an analog of any one location, culture, or historical era, and was instead built from the ground up to have its own internal logic. For this, I relied on so many smart and generous people. Linguist Dr. Lauren Gawne created Old Aramteskan, a new language specifically for a society in which daily life revolves around scent. Experts shared knowledge on everything from chemistry to moon-orbit calculations to lion behavior to neurotoxins. Sensitivity readers (both known and anonymous to me) gave time and energy to examine Aramtesh’s intersections of representation. That said, any shortcomings remain my own.

My mentors, critique partners, early readers, and sounding boards—Amie Kaufman (you never gave up on your Baltimore Keith!), Laura Lam, Pam Macintyre, Kat Kennedy, Sophie Meeks, Serena Lawless, Katherine Firth, Mark Philps, Chris Stabback, Jasmine Stairs, Liz Barr, Kirsty Williams, Nicole and Shane Rosenberg, Claire Gawne, Amber Lough, Eliza Tiernan, and Mel Valente. You’re indelible. I couldn’t have done this without you.

SCBWI British Isles (with special shout-outs to The Saras and the Undiscovered Voices team, and to Southeast Scotland local network organizers past and present), Book Bound UK (especially Karen Ball who encouraged me to keep going with this after reading the, ahem, rough first chapter), and Scottish Book Trust for my New Writers Award and all the assistance and opportunities since.

My support networks: House of Progress and the Aus retreat gang, Clan #becpub, Ladies of Literary License, Clarion Narwolves, Plot Bunnies, and the We’ve Got This crew.

Friends: In addition to those already thanked above, my gratitude to Brendan, Jack, Andrew, Martyn, and Andreas for the homes-away-from-home at such important junctures—I am eternally appreciative. Alison—now there’s a thesis and a book inspired by Mavis.

Family: Guess all those effing oil burners paid off with this one, Mum. My godmother, Alexandra, for all those imagination-fueling research trips across the world. Phil and David: You can’t choose your in-laws, but if you could, I’d choose you. Dida and Manu: Home smells like eucalyptus and mountain mist, cracked sunflower seeds and swimming pool chlorine in a warm car.

And Roscoe? Thank you is not enough. I love you.