ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’ve never written a sequel before. This was certainly a learning experience, but, overall, it was a hell of a lot of fun.

I first want to thank readers like you. Your enthusiasm for Smoke Eaters helped make this book a reality, and I can’t express enough how much you mean to me.

I want to thank Steph O’Neil, Laura Adams, Marc Morris, Rachel Noel, Derek Arsenault, Laurie Bell, Matt Shileikis, Sean Little, and Eddie Moore for being fantastic beta readers, and sorry to those decimated by the ending. Here’s hoping for Book 3!

Marc Gascoigne and Lee Gibbons created a fantastic cover that completely outdoes the first, which I never thought possible. Paul Simpson, who edited Ash Kickers, was phenomenal to work with. He truly made this book shine, and, after copyediting Smoke Eaters, finally got me to eliminate modern references, like Predator and Where’s Waldo?

Thanks to Gemma Creffield for taking on the publicity end, as well as the copyedits. Odds are, you heard about this book because of her. And that goes for everyone at Angry Robot Books.

Finally, I want to thank my wonderful wife for putting up with me. With every book, especially during the edit, I become a strange, obsessive weirdo. Lisa, thanks for being there and supporting me. I love you more than a dragon loves ash.