Nocturna (A Forgery of Magic #1)(129)

The internet once sagely told me that you’ve got to get roasted if you ever wanna get toasted. Thank you, Whitley Birks, for being an amazing beta-reader and effectively roasting me within an inch of my life. Both the book and I grew from the critiques you gave me. I can’t thank you enough.

Thank you, Sandy Liang. You taught me to do a push-up and so much more. I am stronger, inside and out, because of you.

To Margot Levin, thank you for listening to me and helping me remember why I love to write in the first place.

Thank you to the University of Maryland’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House for giving me the resources I needed to become the author I am today. I hope you get all the funding you and your students so deserve. (I’m looking at you, ever-shrinking UMD arts budget!)

Thank you to Eva Freeman, who was my very first creative writing teacher in college. You encouraged me to put my words on paper even when I was afraid to, and I am forever grateful for that. Having a woman of color as my first creative writing teacher was an amazing experience, and I hope I can give other writers half the inspiration you gave me. I’m so happy that we’ve reunited in NYC, and I can’t wait to share this book with Jonah and Micah when they’re old enough!

To Carlea Holl-Jensen and Keke Kusumaatmadja, thank you for all the long, after-class meetings and for believing in my work. You both were amazing teachers who pushed me to see myself as a writer in the present tense instead of someone trying to become a writer in the distant, inconceivable future. I am forever in your debt for that. I hope we can meet up at Busboys and Poets again soon!

A big thank-you to Sweetleaf LIC and its entire staff for giving me a place to write, and a special thanks to Andrea Garcia, Kevin Burgos, and Desiree Camacho. Thank you for all the brownie bites and guidance on which Spanish curse words to use, and for watching me make funny faces at my laptop for a year straight without kicking me out.

Another thank-you to the Hungarian Pastry Shop, where I spent a year and a half writing my very first draft and devouring slice after slice of your amazing cakes. I can’t wait to give you a photo of my cover so it can be featured on your wall of amazing books that have been written in your legendary shop.

To my family—my mom and dad and stepmom, my sisters, my wild band of cousins (LFAM for life!), and my aunts and uncles—thank you for patiently waiting after hearing me ramble about wanting to write books since I was four years old. It only took twenty-two years, so I think I made it right on time.

And, of course, thank you to you too. Thank you for giving me, Alfie, and Finn a spot on your bookshelf, under your bed, on your desk, or in your heart. Wherever you keep your books, we’re honored to be there.