ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Spindleheart: Trail of Shadow and Spool was not the first manuscript I’ve written. In fact, it is my fourth completed one to date. If I had known that years ago my first published book would’ve been my fourth, it wouldn’t have stopped me, but it would certainly given me pause. As anyone whose ever written a manuscript or attempted it knows that shelving even just one project isn’t an easy thing to do. However, I couldn’t be prouder to have Spindleheart as my first book, and of all the folks I have met during its creation. So, I wanted to formally thank everyone who has played a role in the creation of Spindleheart. They have all been people who were dripping with the same passion, excitement, and enthusiasm I had in writing such a project.

I would like to thank my editors over at Reedsy, with a special shoutout to Sirah Jarocki and J. Albert Mann. You all went above and beyond with your edits and feedback, and I truly believe the experience of working with you has helped me grow as a writer. I know that deep down Spindleheart wouldn’t be the same story without you. I would like to thank my talented cover artist Adrian DKC, and my awesome book illustrator Octavio Cordova; your illustrations rock and still leave me gobsmacked with how amazing they are. They faithfully capture the spirit and identity of Spindleheart’s story.

I would love to thank my beta readers whom I still feel quite fortunate to have had the pleasure of working with. Seriously, you all rock and helped Spindleheart become the story it currently is. I’d love to thank every teacher who continued to encourage me to pursue my creative endeavors, even when it was evident my writing still had much growing to do. I have to give a big thank you to the school librarians who made the library such a welcoming, fun, and bright space, even on the gloomiest of days. Thanks to them the library is still my happy place. I want to thank my family for their continued love and support as I pursue my crazy dream of writing these odd stories.

And lastly, I want to thank you dear reader for giving this book a chance.