Acknowledgments

Hi! Lady Janies here. This is the part where we’re supposed to tip our hats to all the wonderful people who helped make this book into what it is, but there are three of us and we each have an extensive support team, so we’ll try to be brief (ha-ha). After all, you just read a five-hundred-page book. You’re tired. So are we.

Here’s a (totally incomplete) list of people we think are pretty awesome:

First off, our readers, both old and new. Every time we mentioned writing a book about Lady Jane Grey (a comedy?!), you always responded with such enthusiasm. It made the idea seem a little less crazy and a little more doable. Thanks for that. You rock.

Our agents, of course: Katherine Fausset, Lauren MacLeod, and Michael Bourret. “The three of us want to write a book together” was probably the most logistically nightmarish thing you’ve ever heard us say, but you ran with it. Thank you for your unwavering belief in us and our funny little story.

Our fantastic editors, Erica Sussman and Stephanie Stein, who just got this book from the very beginning—the humor, the characters, the playfulness in the telling. One of the best parts of writing MLJ was getting to make you laugh. Also, thanks to Kristin Rens and Laurel Symonds for not minding when Brodi and Jodi ran off to play with a different book for a little while.

Our publicist, Rosanne Romanello, who read this book so quickly we got whiplash. Pterodactyl E∂ians are totally a thing.

Our jacket designer, Jenna Stempel, for not killing us for how picky we were this time around, and for giving us a jacket with pearls and lace and Jane looking mischievous.

Our families, for their patience and support while we ran off for weeks at a time to write and play in England. (That’s Jeff for Jodi; John, Will, and Maddie for Cynthia; and Carter and Beckham for Brodi.)

Our pets: Todd and Katniss and Kippy and Walter Fishop III and Stella and Frank and Pidge and Jewels and Fred the Pigeon we found on our balcony in London, who may or may not be a girl. You’re our E∂ian inspiration.

And the yeoman at the Tower of London who talked to us about Jane and ran up Beauchamp Tower to make sure we saw both places where Guildford had carved Jane’s name.

And that’s it. We’ll stop now. Bye.