Dedication

 

To my mother, my first reader, and my father, my first editor.

 

Forward

 

To adapt fairy tales is a long and varied tradition.  The best part is that it never really gets old.  We tell these stories over and over again for a reason.  They are familiar, comforting, even when given a fresh face.  Valeria is a part of this tradition, as an adaption of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel into the world of Steampunk.  I hope that you enjoy this adaption of the Grimm’s tale about love as much as I enjoyed writing it.

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

This being my first published book, there’s a lot of people that I need to thank, but I’ll try to only ramble on a little while.

Mom and Dad, I know that sometimes you wonder where in the world I got this whole obsession with writing from, but I think it’s pretty obvious, myself.  After all, you’re the ones who read me Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park before bed time, took me dancing, singing, and generally stuffed about as much creativity into me as any kid could wish for.  Thanks.

Sarah, despite all that Mom and Dad did, this is still all your fault.  You know how much I love you for it.

Julie, thank you for introducing me to Steampunk, and letting me play sandbox in the world of your books.  Let’s try not to kill these two characters, ok?

Michael, my husband, the milk to my cookies, the peas to my carrots, and the Damien to my Eritta, thanks.  I love you.