Shadow and Bone

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to my agent and champion, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe. I feel lucky every day to have her on my side, as well as the wonderful team at Nancy Coffey Literary: Nancy, Sara Kendall, Kathleen Ortiz, Jaqueline Murphy, and Pouya Shahbazian.

My sharp-eyed and intuitive editor, Noa Wheeler, believed in this story and knew exactly how to make it better. Many thanks to the remarkable people at Holt Children’s and Macmillan: Laura Godwin, Jean Feiwel, Rich Deas and April Ward in design, and Karen Frangipane, Kathryn Bhirud, and Lizzy Mason in marketing and publicity. I’d also like to thank Dan Farley and Joy Dallanegra-Sanger. Shadow and Bone could not have found a better home.

My generous readers, Michelle Chihara and Josh Kamensky, lent me their supergenius brains and cheered me on with relentless enthusiasm and patience. Thanks also to my brother Shem for his art and long-distance hugs, Miriam “Sis” Pastan, Heather Joy Kamensky, Peter Bibring, Tracey Taylor, the Apocalypsies (especially Lynne Kelly, Gretchen McNeil, and Sarah J. Maas, who gave me my first review), my fellow WOART Leslie Blanco, and Dan Moulder, who was lost to the river.

I blame Gamynne Guillote for fostering my megalomania and encouraging my love of villains, Josh Minuto for introducing me to epic fantasy and making me believe in heroes, and Rachel Tejada for way too many late-night movies. Hedwig Aerts, my fellow pirate queen, put up with long hours of late-night typing. Erdene Ukhaasai diligently translated Russian and Mongolian for me over Facebook. Morgan Fahey kept me in cocktails, conversation, and delicious fiction. Dan Braun and Michael Pessah kept the beat.

Many books helped to inspire Ravka and bring it to life, including Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia, by Orlando Figes; Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia, by Suzanne Massie; and Russian Folk Belief, by Linda J. Ivanits.

And finally, many thanks to my family: my mother, Judy, whose faith never wavered, and who was first in line to order her kefta; my father, Harve, who was my rock, and whom I miss every day; and my grandfather Mel Seder, who taught me to love poetry, seek adventure, and throw a punch.