A couple years ago, I was at a writing retreat in the woods, and I was marveling at how the light hit the tangle of trees . . . and I tripped over my own feet, fell on my face, and cut my lip. In that moment, Renthia, with all its bloodthirsty nature spirits, was born. Trees + blood = this book.
So I’d like to thank those trees for the somewhat painful inspiration.
I’d also like to thank my magnificent agent Andrea Somberg, who has believed in me from the start, my amazing editor David Pomerico, and my fantastic publicist Caroline Perny, as well as Jennifer Brehl, Priyanka Krishnan, Pam Jaffee, Angela Craft, Shawn Nicholls, Amanda Rountree, Virginia Stanley, Chris Connolly, and all the other wonderful people at HarperCollins who helped bring Renthia to life.
And thank you with all my heart to my husband, my children, and all my family and friends. You are all magic, and I love you so much.