I can never sing enough praises for my hardworking, wise, hand-holding, and smart agent, Rosemary Stimola. She is the whole pie with a big dollop of ice cream on top. Thank you to Ro and the Studio crew, Debra, Pete, Adriana, Allison, and Erica, for helping me navigate this wonderful but crazy business.
A bouquet of gratitude to my foreign publishers, agents, and readers worldwide who embraced the Remnant world and jumped on this book at first whisper. I hope one day I can travel to all of your amazing countries and thank you personally!
I am forever indebted to librarians, booksellers, tweeters, booktubers, bloggers, Instagrammers, and the many fans who have spread the word in innumerable and astonishing ways—from reviews to tweets, to fan art, to drop-dead gorgeous cover shots, to full-on cosplay, and even to candles celebrating the Dance of Thieves world. I am humbled and in awe of their talent and boundless enthusiasm, and grateful to be on this book journey with them.
I will always be thankful for so many dedicated, generous, badass, in-the-trenches YA writers. Through all the stages and the highs and lows of what we do, they keep me grounded with my eye on the story, help stamp out plot fires and character mutinies, and offer support and writing advice. Their deep wells of creativity inspire me. Thank you to Marlene Perez, Melissa Wyatt, Alyson Noël, Jodi Meadows, Susan Dennard, Jill Rubalcaba, and additional thanks to Robin LaFevers, who happened to be writing a same-universe book at the same time and mused with me on the challenges these books present. Thanks also to Leigh Bardugo for sage advice and offering metaphors about meadows just when I needed it. I owe you a bouquet of flowers. And many thanks to Tobin Anderson, who commiserated on the corners we write ourselves into and offered resources and thoughts on riddles.
My family is my rock and my joy. They keep my spinning thoughts in perspective and support me unfailingly. Thank you to Jessica, Dan, Karen, Ben, Ava, Emily, Leah, and sweet baby B, who will debut about the same time as this book. My heart is full.
And of course, my deepest thanks to Dennis, my favorite thief, and the man who stole my heart. I have danced through life “chained” to this brilliant man, who has helped me see so much of the world in a new way and is always eager to see it through my eyes too. The day we met, our world doubled. He is the best partner in crime I could have asked for and always there for me whether he is bringing me a latté, a lunch, or a listening ear to help me untangle a plot knot. He makes the writing and the books happen.