ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I have to start by thanking my agent extraordinaire, Laura Zats. Without her guidance, input, and ideas, Gunslinger Girl would not be what it is today. I am incredibly lucky to have an agent with her passion for books (not to mention her excellent taste in both tea and beer).

To Aubrey Poole, thank you for your hard work and patience as we kicked this funky little act into Theatre-ready shape. This has been an amazing experience, made all the better by having a supercool editor like you!

Endless gratitude to James Patterson for this incredible opportunity, as well as the entire team at Jimmy. Special thanks to Sabrina Benun, Erinn McGrath, and Gabrielle Tyson, plus everyone on the managing editorial and production teams—I know how much work it takes to put a book together and I appreciate it more than I can say. And to Tracy Shaw and Jeff Miller: this jacket is more fabulous than any author has a right to hope for!

Thank you to my family for always supporting and encouraging my hobbies (even when you didn’t quite understand them), not to mention buying me lots of books growing up. (Lane, you are my favorite nephew!)

To Katrina Kruse: in addition to being the best foodie friend ever, you help me keep my sanity on an ongoing basis. Not enough gratitude in the world for that.

To Jadah McCoy, thank you for giving this book one of its very first—and very needed—injections of confidence. And Elizabeth Briggs—what can I say? Being part of Pitch Wars was one of the best things that ever happened to me; thank you for all the time and work you put into Gunslinger Girl, as well as your continued support. And more thanks to the entire Pitch Wars community (especially the class of 2015) for its dedication to writers and readers of all kinds.

The final round of gratitude goes to a group of people whom I could go on about for pages. My writing group is the best writing group in the whole wide world, and I will break out the fighting words for anyone who tries to claim otherwise. To Kat Black, who was there with me at its inception, your unwavering positivity and experience have been invaluable. To Kyle W. Kerr, thank you for all your help in managing the group; I look forward to all the books we’ll produce from our Parisian apartment overlooking the Seine (someday). Robert Davis can be summed up in one word: awesome. Special thanks to Natalie C. Anderson, who probably read more versions of Gunslinger Girl than anyone else. To Victoria Sandbrook Flynn and Lura Slowinski—who could ask for better beta readers? And much love and thanks to Clare Fitzgerald, Gillian Daniels, Jess Barber (sorry about Finn), Lauren Barrett, Emily Strong, Caitlin Walsh, Nyssa Connell, Eric Mulder, Andrea Corbin, Julia Gilstein, Jay O’Connell, Michael Hilborn, Angela Ambroz, Seth Gordon, Elizabeth Brenner, and all the others who have passed through our ranks. May all your futures be filled with fabulous books and no murder closets!