They say writing is a solitary endeavor, and yet I count myself fortunate in that I do not always find it so. I have been so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life who have inspired me, championed me, and believed in me and this book all along the way.
Bear with me, because it’s a long list.
I would be remiss if I did not thank, first and foremost, Lindsay Fowler, my critique partner, one of my closest friends, and a mind-blowingly talented writer herself. She read each draft of this book (and is to this day the only person besides myself to have seen the messy first draft, a dubious honor) and gave me excellent notes, suggestions, and criticism at every step of the way. Thank you times infinity for your patience, your support, for endless conversations talking through plot points and characterization and themes, and for putting up with all my two A.M. freak-out texts.
Thank you to my fabulous Canisius Alumni Writers (aka CAW), without whose enthusiasm this book might still be languishing on my hard drive: Joe Bieron, Cara Cotter, Brittany Gray, Caitie McAneney, Ryan Nagelhout, and Ryan Wolf.
Showers of gratitude upon my amazing, fabulous agent, Brianne Johnson: for taking a chance on a cold query by a first-time author with a crazy-long manuscript, for helping me improve said manuscript exponentially, and for finding it a wonderful home and making my dreams come true.
Millions of thanks (and brisket tots!) to my gem of an editor, Vicki Lame, for giving me this chance, for your love and enthusiasm for this story, and for making this book so much better than I thought it could be. I’ve already learned so much from working with you—can’t wait for round two!
Thanks to the wonderful team at St. Martin’s Press for their work on this project, and for the absolutely gorgeous cover that I am so in love with.
Thank you to all my wonderful English and creative writing teachers at Canisius College, especially Janet McNally, Jennifer Desiderio, and Eric Gansworth. And, above all, thanks to Mick Cochrane: mentor, fellow writer, and friend, for making me the writer I am today. I’ll never forget the day, a few years after I’d graduated, when he took the time to meet with me at a point when I was feeling particularly lost and talked through my writing-career options with me. Thanks to his advice and wise counsel, I decided to really give this book a shot, and it worked out.
Thank you to Karla Manzella, my ninth-grade English teacher, who knew I was writing my own stories during her class and let me keep doing it.
Thank you to piano teacher extraordinaire Karen Schmid, for all those wonderful and inspiring conversations about music. Thanks to my voice teacher, Melissa Thorburn, for not batting an eye when I showed up with obscure Vivaldi arias to learn. Thank you to the wonderful and wise Maestro Frank Scinta, who taught me more about music than I can possibly say.
Thank you to all the rocking musicians whose music I listened to and drew inspiration from while writing this novel, namely Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Within Temptation, Delain, Stream of Passion, Epica, Florence + the Machine, Serenity, Tori Amos, and Icon for Hire. A special thanks to Lindsey Stirling for giving a voice to Adriana’s violin inside my head.
Heaps of thanks with sprinkles on top to my BFF and partner in frozen-yogurt crime, Jen Hark, for letting me babble at her about all kinds of historical subjects.
Thanks and virtual hugs to #TeamWritersHouse for reaching out via Twitter and Facebook and welcoming me to the family, and for all their support and wonderful bookish conversation.
Thanks beyond words or measure to my family. To my grandparents, Mike and Kathy Zimmerman, who read early drafts of this book and brag about me all the time. To my brother, Matt Palombo, for making me laugh and for always believing I could do it (even if this book has no duels, car chases, or explosions. Maybe next time!). And thank you, thank you, thank you to my parents, Tony and Debbie Palombo, for never doubting me for an instant, for supporting me in everything I’ve ever wanted to do, for instilling in me a love of reading and of history, for teaching me the value of hard work, and for their unconditional love every second of my life. Without them I would not be here, nor would I be a writer.
And last but certainly not least, thank you to Antonio Vivaldi. Grazie mille per l’ispirazione, maestro.