Enormous thanks to Erin Bowman, for being a Hero Squad sister for life, for listening when I needed listening, for critiquing when I needed critiquing, and for just being there. Always.
To Ashley Hubert: You’re amazing. You read Truthwitch and gave me feedback (plus an ego boost) right when I desperately needed it. I’m so glad we became friends.
To Nicola Wilkinson, the brains behind the Witchlanders street team: Merik is yours. Or Special Baby K. Or any of the characters, really, since you have gone above and beyond for this book and this series. There are no words to express how grateful I am for all you do and all you have done.
To Maddie Meylor: You’ve been with me since the start, and for some reason, you’re not sick of me yet. Thank you for all the reading, the gushing, and the simple fact that you’re you.
To my fellow slayer of darkspawn, Rosanna Silverlight: You singlehandedly saved my muse with your pep talks. Plus, your feedback was exactly what I needed when I needed it.
To the rest of my Thread-family, Dan Krokos, Derek Molata, Biljana Likic, Alexandra Bracken, Vanessa Campbell, Sarah Jae-Jones, Jodi Meadows, and Amie Kaufman: Thank you. For the support, the shoulders to cry on, the much-needed beta reads, and the many, many giggles.
Thanks to Lori Tincher, for answering my horse questions, and to Cindy Vallar, for all the help with nautical shenanigans.
A giant thanks to Jacqueline Carey, for putting up with my na?ve, star-struck self. Thank you.
To the teams at Tor and New Leaf that have worked tirelessly to sell my books and turn my drivel into something worth reading, as well as package and design the entire Truthwitch world: I would be lost without you. Thank you from the bottom of my three Link hearts (that one’s for you, Jo). And Whitney, you “have a whole relationship with dairy products I don’t understand.”
To the Misfits & Daydreamers (and every other reader, blogger, and aspiring author out there): I have no words to express my gratitude. You guys listen, support, and remind me everyday of why I do this.
To my family—Mom, Dad, David, and Jen—thank you for enduring (and often nurturing) my distracted daydreaming for all these years … And also thank you for bragging about me at the grocery store. That makes me feel truly special.
And last—but not least—I have to thank my husband, Sébastien. I couldn’t have written this book (or any other) were it not for you and your endless, unconditional support. I love you forever and then some.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUSAN DENNARD has come a long way from small-town Georgia. As a marine biologist, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two dogs, and she is extremely active in social media. You can find her on her blog or Twitter or contributing to Publishing Crawl. You can sign up for email updates here.