Chaos (34 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

W
OW.
T
HE END OF
a series. There are so many people who helped make this happen, and I am grateful to all of you! Courtney Miller, my acquiring editor: thank you a million times for believing in this series from the start. The wonderful team at Amazon Publishing, including Timoney Korbar, Deborah Bass, and Erick Pullen: thank you for working so hard to give these books the visibility they needed. I’d like to thank copyeditor Elizabeth Johnson for nitpicking in the most delightful way. Additional thanks goes to my proofreader, Janice Lee. To my cover designer, Tony Sahara: thank you for designing a brutal, beautiful cover for Lela’s final round. And to my developmental editor, Leslie “Lam” Miller: you are an absolute gift and will always be welcome in my margins (and in my parlor).

Thank you to the team at New Leaf Literary & Media, especially Joanna Volpe, Danielle Barthel, Jaida Temperly, and Lauren Wohl. And to Kathleen Ortiz, my agent: you are so many things—patient, empathic, fearsome when necessary, kind and strategic at all times. I am so glad we chose each other.

A special thank you goes to Petra Ippendorf (Safari Poet) for giving Treasa Kirwan her name.

I am blessed with fabulous writing friends. Lydia Kang: your name in my in-box is all it takes to make my day. And to Brigid, Jaime, Virginia, Justine, Stina, and Lori, thank you for cheering me on and lifting me up. I am also endlessly lucky to have a boss who not only helped me design my “day job” but has also helped me keep doing it despite all the competing demands of these two intense professions: Paul, I am forever in your debt. Thank you also to my team—Catherine, Anne-Marie, Chris, Casey, Kim, and Erica, as well as the entire staff of CCBS. You guys make it worth the juggling act. I’m so proud to be associated with you.

Thank you to my parents, Jerry and Julie; my sisters, Cathryn and Robin; my husband, John; and, of course, my kiddos, Alma and Asher. You hold me together.

I am grateful to all the bloggers who have helped spread the word, and to the librarians and teachers who took the time to share my books with their students. Thank you for helping this series and this book find its audience. And finally, thank you to my readers. Thanks for giving Lela a chance, for understanding her, and for rooting for her. Thanks for hanging with her and Malachi for three books. Thank you for laughing and crying with these characters, for letting them into your heart. It’s hard for me to let them go, but knowing that you care about them eases the pain of this good-bye.

Photo © Rebecca Skinner

S
ARAH
F
INE WAS BORN
on the West Coast, raised in the
Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched
on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a child psychologist. No, she is not psychoanalyzing you right now. She is the author of the young adult novels
Sanctum
,
Fractured
,
Of Metal and Wishes
, and
Scan
. Her first adult fantasy novel,
Marked
, releases in early 2015 from 47North.

Find Sarah online at
www.sarahfinebooks.com
or on Twitter
@FineSarah
.

For more information about the Guards of the Shadowlands
series, and to read excerpts from Malachi’s personal journals, visit
www.GuardsOfTheShadowlands.tumblr.com
.

PRAISE FOR
S
AN
C
TU
M

Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 1

“As a modern-day ‘Orpheus and Eurydice,’
Sanctum
will be a hit with urban fantasy readers, who will love its top-notch world-building, page-turning action, and slow-developing romance.” —
School Library Journal

“This is one of my favorite books of this year
! . . .
Smart and sexy.” —
Reading Teen
blog

“In this well-developed concept of the afterlife, details are well-executed and the setting is described flawlessly. Without a doubt, readers will look forward to the next installment of the Guards of the Shadowlands series.” —
Library Media Connection

“Many original, interesting ideas create this complex world and creatures lurking through the afterlife. [Readers] will be excited to find this is [the] first of a trilogy.” —
Voice of Youth Advocates
(
VOYA
)

“Dark, gripping, and impossible to put down.
Sanctum
is smart, original, and pulls no punches—just like Lela, one of the strongest heroines I’ve ever met.” —Erica O’Rourke, author of
Torn

“Theology be damned, though: Lela and Malachi are both likable protagonists, and readers will be happy (though not surprised) to find them drawn together; the supporting cast among the Guards is also stron
g . . .
[T]his trilogy opener has a lot going for it.” —
Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR
FR
A
C
T
UR
ED

Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 2

“Between the expanded worldbuilding and well-paced suspense, Fine presents
a . . .
bridge to carry readers to Book 3.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“High stakes and heart-pounding action continue in this satisfying sequel.” —
Booklist Online

“Fans of the series will swoon over the make-out scenes and bite their nails during the gory fights, yearning impatiently for the next volume.” —
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)