WRITING IS A solitary profession, but editing takes a village. Thank you, Karen Stivali, Alyssa Palmer, Miranda Baker, Robin Becht, Melanie Fletcher, Cyndy Aleo and Andrew Shaffer who helped me beat The King into shape. Thank you, Gitte Doherty for your help with Søren’s Danish. Thank you to Susan Swinwood, editor extraordinaire, who has claimed Søren as her book boyfriend (sorry, ladies, I can’t fight my own editor for him). And thank you to Sara Megibow, my dream agent who is a dream agent because she’s helped me make all my dreams come true. Thank you, Andrew Shaffer, my fiancé, for being my best friend and toughest critic. Special kisses and pets to Buckley Cat and sad little Honeytoast Kitteh for keeping me entertained during long writing hours. Thank you to the good people at the Jesuit Spiritual Retreat Center in Milford, Ohio, for giving me an internet-free sanctuary in which to write The King. Apologies if I gave any Jesuits a heart attack when I honestly answered the question, “So what do you do for a living?”