Toward a Secret Sky was born in 2008, the night my best friend and I took our daughters to see the movie Twilight. Our kids adored it so much, they decided I needed to write a new fantasy adventure starring them. Their demands were simple: it must take place in my husband’s homeland of Scotland; it must feature an everyday, relatable heroine who wasn’t gifted with impossible beauty or superhero strength; and the heroine’s best friend had to die. I’ll be forever grateful to you, Mary Jo, Rielly, Hunter, and Hadley, for inspiring me to spread my own literary wings. You are all my angels.
A beautiful idea for a book doesn’t automatically a masterpiece make, however. Thank heavens I have the most remarkable literary agent, who also happens to be an amazing editor: the indomitable and utterly brilliant Susan Ginsburg. Susan, your guidance and wisdom, patience and perseverance are unparalleled in this universe. I adore you and will be forever grateful to you. I am humbled and honored to be represented by Writers House, and owe buckets of gratitude to everyone there, especially Stacy Testa, an incredible agent and editor in her own right.
The fact that HarperCollins’ Blink wasn’t around when I wrote this book makes me secretly believe I wished it into existence. I could not ask for more thoughtful, dedicated, and all-around wonderful colleagues. A huge thank you to everyone for sharing your immense talents with me, especially the editing, marketing, and video dream team of Jacque Alberta, Sara Bierling, Annette Bourland, Ben Greenhoe, Sara Merritt, and Liane Worthington.
I don’t know where I would be without my husband, Calum—my biggest fan, my greatest love, my Scottish prince—who is a heady combination of Gavin, Jamie from Outlander, and William Wallace (the movie version, not the wear-the-skin-of-his-enemies actual guy), as well as my son Gavin, who was just a baby when I began this story, and is growing into a young man worthy of his fictional namesake. Thank you for always having my back. You will always have my heart.
Thank you also to the real-life Murdo and Liz, my adorable Scottish in-laws who welcomed me into my adopted homeland with open arms and continue to regale me with tales of Scottish lore, family history, and bad jokes, most of them involving the Irish or poop.
Huge hugs to the people who sustained me through this process and sustain me through life: my mother, Pam Beach-Reber; my dear friends Jodie Dunn, Helen and Hailey Gelil; my uncle Bob Zavagno; and my brother and sister-in-law Jon and Ali Beach. Your unwavering support, encouragement, and enthusiasm is contagious. I am blessed to have caught it.
And finally, most importantly, I wish to thank God for giving me gifts and blessings far beyond what I deserve.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
My goal in writing Toward a Secret Sky was to blend reality with possibility. To that end, almost every location in the book is real: from Kingussie High School and the Church of St. Mary and St. Finnan in Scotland to the Millennium Bridge and the Crypt under St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Once the book was done, I returned to Scotland and retraced the characters’ journeys with my daughters. We drove all around the Scottish Highlands and down through the English countryside to London, documenting every place, placard, and picaresque vista featured in the book. You can join us on our adventure and see the world through Maren’s eyes at www.towardasecretsky.com If you wish to walk in Maren’s footsteps yourself, or just want more information about the magical British Isles (along with videos featuring their marvelous accents), I highly recommend this wonderful trio of websites: VisitScotland.com, VisitEngland.com, and VisitBritain.com.