Writing every book is hard and wondrous in its own way, but the final book in a series has its own special magic and mischief, and Glassheart was no exception. The book and I were each broken in several different ways before we found our way out of the Wending together and the grandfather clock struck midnight for the final time, but in the end I hope that I have given Eleanor, Pip, Otto, Jack, Claire, the cat-of-ashes, and all the rest a proper farewell, and that I have given you, my wonderful readers, a satisfying and thrilling conclusion to this tale of curses and friendship and sinister siblings.
As I’ve shared before, the idea for Thirteens sprang from a one-shot RPG run by my dear friend Patrick Maughan, and so I must of course thank him first. Along the way, many people have helped shepherd that seed of an idea into three books and an entire heroic journey. Lisa Rodgers was the first to read and champion Thirteens, providing invaluable insight on that first (very) lumpy draft. Maggie Rosenthal, as she has so many times, lent her editorial expertise, transforming every draft along the way. The No Name Writing Group read drafts, untangled plot threads, and made soothing noises when I panicked—an eternal thank-you for feedback and friendship to Shanna Germain, Erin M. Evans, Susan Morris, Rhiannon Held, Corry L. Lee, Monte Cook, and Rashida Smith. And huge thanks to Lauren Spieller, agent extraordinaire, for jumping right in mid-series to help bring the story of Eden Eld to its conclusion.
As always, I am eternally grateful to the team at Viking for taking my words and turning them into a book. I would be adrift without the efforts of my copyeditors and proofreaders to wrangle my continuity errors and creative punctuation, so thank you to Abigail Powers, Sola Akinlana, Marinda Valenti, Alison Dotson, and Vivian Kirklin. I have been blessed with yet another fantastic cover, illustrated by Sara Kipin and designed by Maria Fazio and Kristin Boyle. Thank you also to Kate Renner for beautiful interior design. And to those who work to get the book into the hands of its readers, especially Kaitlin Kneafsey.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my family, who have always been my strongest supporters and biggest cheerleaders. Especially Mike: my spouse, my best friend, and my companion in all my travels. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.
Finally, the biggest thank-you goes to my readers. For those who have read along with Eleanor, Pip, and Otto from that first fateful Halloween, thank you so much—these books wouldn’t exist without you. Though our dear trio have earned their retirement, there are many more heroes to be found, more roads to follow, and more adventures to be had, and I hope that you will come along for the journey.