One of my favorite places is Columbus, Ohio. I only lived there for a year, but it still feels like home. That’s mostly because my mother lives there. Though the old saying goes that home is where the heart is, no matter how old I get, there will always be a part of me that feels that home is where my mom is. I’m so lucky to have her for a thousand reasons. The least of which is how willing is she to help me with the settings of the Mayflower Mages books. As I was writing this story from Georgia, I called and emailed her dozens of times asking for details about Columbus. On many occasions, she traveled around the city taking photos of various sites for me. Thanks, Mom.
If you’re familiar with Columbus, you’ll likely recognize a few landmarks or streets. You might also notice that I’ve played havoc with some parts of the city, adding a large dose of magic to many locations and completely trashing others. For those of you who love the city, I hope you’ll forgive me for that last part.
As for the other of the aspects of this book, Katie Askue read every word of the original manuscript, as she has with each book I’ve written. I’ve come to depend on her wise council, and I’m so thankful for her time and insight. Above all, I’m thankful for her friendship.
I’m also grateful for my editor, Jennifer Herrington. Someone was smiling on me the day my manuscript landed in her inbox. This book matured greatly under her expert eye. She showed me how to ignite a spark in Aurora and Edmund that I couldn’t figure out on my own. I’m moving on to the next book a better writer because of her.
I must thank my kids as well for putting up with an embarrassing number of take-out dinners while I was editing this book. In fact, life in our house got so chaotic that my ten-year-old said to me, “Mom, can you show me how to do the laundry?”
Finally, thank you, dear reader. I hope you enjoy Aurora and Edmund’s adventures. As for the third book in the Mayflower Mages series, stay tuned. Gregor’s story is next.