Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands #3)(109)

To my editors Kendra Levin and Alice Swan. I would have given up, lain down on the floor and stayed there a dozen times over if it wasn’t for them. I am completely indebted to them for their patience, their energy and their belief, especially when I had run out of all three. Thank you for helping me get to the finish line.

My thanks to Ken Wright, Leah Thaxton and Stephen Page for being so supportive of me and this trilogy over the past three years. It means the world.

Thank you a thousand times to my publicists extraordinaire, Elyse Marshall and Hannah Love, who are both filled with boundless energy and optimism and enthusiasm and make everything look effortless even though I know how hard they work.

I am grateful to the whole of the teams across both sides of the ponds who helped root the devil out of the details: Maggie Rosenthal, Krista Ahlberg, Natasha Brown and Susila Baybars. And for taking a sloppy looking Word document and making it into a real, and very good looking book, my thanks go to Theresa Evangelista, Emma Eldridge and Kate Renner.

For getting the book out there I owe thanks to the whole of the marketing, social media and publicity teams across both countries. Bri Lockhart, Leah Schiano, Kaitlin Kneafsey, Emily Romero, Rachel Cone-Gorham, Anna Jarzab, Madison Killen, Erin Berger, Lisa Kelly, Mia Garcia, Christina Colangelo, Kara Brammer, Erin Toller, Briana Woods-Conklin, Lily Arango, Megan Stitt, Carmela Iaria, Venessa Carson, Kathryn Bhirud, Alexis Watts, Rachel Wease, Rachel Lodi, Sarah Lough and Niriksha Bharadia.

And for getting the book to shelves my thanks goes to the whole of the sales teams. Including, but certainly not limited to, Biff Donovan, Sheila Hennessy, Colleen Conway, Doni Kay, David Woodhouse, Clare Stern, Kim Lund, Miles Poynton and Sam Brown and the Faber reps.

I am so very grateful to the whole of the Bent Agency and all their co-agents for putting the story of Amani and the rebellion on shelves across the globe. And to all my foreign publishers for bringing these books into your respective countries.

I live in terror while doing acknowledgements that I will forget people in my life who have helped. So friends, colleagues, countrymen, please be assured, I still think you’re awesome.

But in particular I want to thank Amelia Hodgson. She has read more than one draft of this book when she didn’t have to, and given up entire days of her weekend to help me troubleshoot it in great detail. If you liked the scene with ships sailing across sand, that was her suggestion.

Michella Domenici, who is the best book cheerleader anyone could want.

Anne Murphy, who is the sort of person who knows exactly how to head a stressful time at the pass with a small gesture that always makes a big difference.

Sophie Cass, who has the misfortune of working around the corner from my publisher, and will drop everything and buy a girl hot chocolate in a time of publishing need.



Meredith Sykes, who finished this book and immediately sent me a tear stained selfie, which arrived just in time to pull me out of a particularly bad dark night of the soul.

Justine Caillaud, who has been my creative partner in mischief since we were six months old and is the best at reminding me not to feel bad about how much creativity takes from us.

And of course Rachel Smith. Naturally. Who’s still got my back.

Thank you to all my Penguin Teen on Tour companions for making being on the road a good time. And especially to Renée Ahdieh who is 50% responsible for coming up with the title for this book (specifically ‘The Fall’ part).

Over the pond, my thanks go to Roshani Chokshi, Jessica Cluess and Stephanie Garber, the best people to have at the other end of a text/email/DM in times of authorial trouble when you just need to talk it out.

And on my side of the pond, my thanks to my Author Partners in Writing/Crime/W(h)ine Samantha Shannon, Laure Eve, Cecilia Vinesse, Katherine Webber, Melinda Salisbury, Katy Birchall, Lisa Williamson and Non Pratt and many more I’m sure I’m forgetting. I’m sorry, I’ll buy you a drink.



And last but certainly not least, to all the booksellers who have put this series into a readers’ hands, the bloggers who have encouraged others to pick it up, and all the readers who have embraced Amani and the Rebellion. I can write all I like, but a story really needs to be read to become more than just my words, and so thank you all for bringing this one to life by cracking its spine.





About the Author

ALWYN HAMILTON was born in Toronto and spent her early years bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. After attending school in France, Alwyn went to Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College. On graduating she returned to France and worked in a bookshop, where she rediscovered YA. She then moved to London where she now lives and put her degree to use working for an auction house. She is now a full-time writer and Rebel of the Sands was her first novel.