Because of layout issues, the acknowledgments for Death Marked couldn’t be included in the hardcover — so, here they are instead! With great gratitude, I present…
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Death Marked Acknowledgments
This book was written at breakneck speed — or at least, it felt that way to me. From the moment I signed the contract for Death Sworn plus Sequel (untitled, unwritten sequel), I was on a deadline. Both the writing and revising of this book were on a tighter schedule than I’ve ever had before, with vast changes occurring between drafts.
I could not possibly have written this book without the invaluable and speedy comments of my critique partners. So this time, I’m putting them first:
Tova Suslovich, Christine Amsden, Frances Silversmith, Mary Rodgers, Sylva Spruck Wrigely, Michael Hodges, and Anaea Lay. Thank you all for your insight and your swift turnarounds.
Of course, my most valuable editor is always my actual editor, Martha Mihalick. I cringed a little when I sent her the roughest material she had ever seen from me. Somehow, she managed to make me feel good about the initial manuscript while simultaneously making me realize how much work it needed.
Lois Adams, Greenwillow’s managing editor, also went above and beyond. The problem with doing copyedits in track changes is that I now know just how many changes I made. I’m sorry.
Everyone else at Greenwillow completed the process of turning Death Marked into a book. Special thanks go to Sylvie Le Floc’h, who created yet another gorgeous cover, and Gina Rizzo, whose enthusiasm and support for Ileni’s story meant a great deal to me.
My agent, Bill Contardi, helped get this whole crazy process started and has supported me consistently through it.
My husband, Aaron, sat patiently through a 45-minute traffic jam on the Verrazano Bridge — with our kids waiting not-so-patiently and not-so-silently in the back seat — while I pulled out my laptop, worked on revisions, and ignored everyone. And that’s just the least of what he’s done.
Shanna T. Giora-Gorfajn, Sol Kim-Bentley, and Sharona Vedol provided grammatical expertise, and Ariel Levy provided uncannily accurate answers to very strange questions on facebook.
Last but not least, thank you for reading. (The book. Not the acknowledgments. Though thanks for that, too.) Intense and stressful though this process has been, I can’t wait to do it again; and if I get to, it will be because of you.