Shy’s grip tightened. “I’d like that.”
Tayel couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she and Shy settled into a comfortable silence. She relaxed in her seat, taking in the breathtaking view while tracing her thumb along the back of Shy’s hand.
In Tayel’s drowsiness, the last few weeks and all its horrors ebbed away. The invasion, the camp, Ruxbane, and even Mom’s death fell to the back of her mind. Now all she could think was that she was alive, she was with Shy, and Jace was with his family. With everything that had happened, it was more than she could have hoped for. It brought about a strange peace — a very welcome break. Her eyes fluttered open and closed, the gray, storm-like mass at the end of the slipstream growing larger and more turbulent as she drifted into a deep sleep.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I can promise this book wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Zen-like patience of my partner, Conrad, whose persona I couldn’t put into writing without a reader thinking his character a too-perfect Gary Stu. Conrad, your limitless fountain of love and support pushes me to be my best every day. I love your face (and the rest of you, too).
Huge thanks to Greg, the Goofy to my Sora, my go-to for everything related to Pokémon, and one of my absolute best friends. Thank you for introducing me to your amazing family — Susie, Catherine, and Rachel, especially — who have included me, loved me, and encouraged me in ways I never expected, but am always grateful for. To Alec, for being more family than friend, for always including me in your crazy adventures, and for still writing terrible fan fiction with me after all these years. To Liz, the randomly-assigned-roommate jackpot, the slayer of plot holes, and the slayer of actual Slayer — you know, in Halo. Your incredible edits to Overshadowed made it what it is today, and your friendship is forever cherished.
I also thank Deb, for always understanding and for always encouraging me to develop both personally and professionally. Vinnie, I have to thank you, too, mostly for introducing me to Deb (just kidding). The value of your mentorship is only surpassed by the value of your friendship. To all my Compliance co-workers, thank you for your companionship and general awesomeness, and thank you especially for those long email trains on Fridays with the jokes and gifs and — Deb, you’re not still here, right?
Thank you to the vault of writerly-epicness that is Scribophile, and to its creator, Alex Cabal. There are more Scribbers to thank than I possibly have room for, but these stellar individuals especially deserve my appreciation: Jerry, Maggie, Derek, Robb, H.L., Dave, Donna, Stanley, Afton, Isabel, and Bud — my fight scene angel. I also want to shout out to my incredible editor, Maria, for finding just the right places to tweak, add, or takeaway, and for teaching me several tips, tricks, and rules about the ever elusive grammar-beast.
I must thank my Tutu for all the encouragement she’s given me over the years, for always being interested in my writing, and for never hesitating to tell me she believes in me. Thanks also go to my Grandma, who taught me the value of introspection, and that admitting wrongs is a strength, not a weakness. To my mom, for everything except my middle name — which I still hate — but especially for being the amazing, creative, free spirit that you are, and that encouraged me to be who I am today. To Keala, for always staying strong with a smile, and for instilling in me my appreciation of good humor (yes, everyone, blame Keala for all my bad jokes! Especially the puns).
Finally, I thank my dad, who also shares this passion for writing, who used to read little-me books from on tour halfway around the world, who personifies grit and determination, and who so kindly passed those virtues to me.
Thank you all for the various ways in which you helped with this book, and in the many ways you impact my life every day. I couldn’t have done this without you!
Author Bio
Tabitha Chirrick is a writer of all things speculative, geeky, and/or badass. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of California Santa Cruz, has been published in a number of journals, and has a publishing credit for an essay at the International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling. While these are things she lists to sound author-like and professional, she’s really just a geek who likes playing video games, reading comic books, and watching TV — sometimes of questionable quality. She makes her home in the gadget and burrito-filled splendor that is Silicon Valley.
Website: www.story-geek.com
Twitter: @TabKey
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Tabitha Chirrick
All rights reserved.
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