The Poison Season(100)

And somewhere, on another mountain in another kingdom, a Forest would appear as if by magic. And it would be very hungry.



Acknowledgments


I wrote The Poison Season during lockdown in Serbia, while homeschooling my kids and spending most of my time in our small guest room turned office. So perhaps it isn’t surprising that I wrote about a girl in a very insular world for a change, rather than one who goes on grand adventures. The pandemic has brought so many challenges, but it has also been a time of reflection and soul-searching, and this novel is a direct result of that. Of course, I haven’t handled it with nearly as much grace as Leelo does, but then again, she didn’t have to listen to the same YouTube meme compilations on repeat while attempting to write a novel.

As always, I couldn’t have written this book without the help of my amazing team.

Thank you to everyone at Inkyard Press, especially my editor, Connolly Bottum, without whom this book (and its title) wouldn’t exist. Huge thanks to Bess Braswell, Brittany Mitchell, Laura Gianino, and Kathleen Ortiz.

A special thank-you to Charlie Bowater for creating the cover of my dreams. I am so honored that the first thing people will see when they pick up this book is your beautiful artwork.

Thank you to Uwe Stender and the rest of the gang at Triada US.

Big hugs to the Belgrade Embassy community, especially Erin Hagengruber. Honorable mention goes to Tate Preston for believing people would donate money for a character name in one of my books for a good cause; you didn’t win, but you earned your spot! Robin and Zamira won with their son’s name, Bizhan. Thank you both for supporting our community.

Thank you to the amazing TPS Street Team, who have helped celebrate every step of this book’s progress. Henry and I are so grateful for your encouragement and support!

I wouldn’t be where I am today without my writing community, especially Elly Blake, Nikki Roberti Miller, Kristin Dwyer, Autumn Krause, and Helena Hoayun.

A warm shout-out to my family: Mom, Dad, Aaron, Elizabeth, Amy, Jennifer, Patti, and the kiddos. I love and miss you all so much.

Special thanks, as always, to Sarah, for being the person who always gets me, even when I’m at my worst.

Most importantly, to my husband, John, and our sons, Jack and Will, for the laughter, love, and chaos that make up our beautiful life. Home is wherever I’m with you.

And finally, thank you to the readers. Your messages, posts, photos, and reviews are a treasured connection to this wonderful bookish community, no matter where in the world I happen to wander.