Dad waved the family back toward their beach towels, Rover trotting happily at their side. Brandon noticed that the dog walked at the front of the family, as though he already knew the way home.

Acknowledgments

My eternal gratitude goes out to my editor, David Levithan, for conceiving this project and bringing me on to it. Working with him is always a pleasure, and the fact that he thought I’d be the right person to bring this strange story to life is truly an honor. Thank you, sir.

Thanks as always to my family—Quin, Maria, Lynn, Arthur, and Ivy. But special thanks go to my mom, who’s always surrounded me with wonderful dogs, not to mention support, advice, and love.

Cheers to Ethan Fixell, Cat Jones, Johnny Amaya, Rebecca Jolly, and everyone else at Wasted Talent who was there during the crazed, sleepless weeks I spent writing this book.

And most importantly, thank you to Jason, Pudgy, Beau, Bea, Gus, and Ella, the dogs I grew up with, who taught me to stick my head out the window of life and let the wind rush through my hair.

About the Author

Christopher Krovatin is an author and journalist based out of the East Coast. His YA and middle-grade novels include Heavy Metal and You, Venomous, Frequency, and the Gravediggers trilogy. His journalistic work at music outlets like Revolver, Kerrang!, and Noisey has allowed him to speak to Rob Zombie more than once.

Chris currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, Azara, their son, Jacob, and an entire shelf dedicated to books about vampires.