Beta readers offered their take on later drafts: Lauren James, Andrea Lim, Jenna DeTrapani, Emily Lo, Rebekah Greenway, Lianne Crawford, Lisa Choi MD, Faye Matuguinas, Nicole Harlan, Summer McDaniel, Bridget Howard, Kelsey Olesen, Rachel Andrews, and Anya Johnson.

Several readers also provided their expertise on specific topics. My former grad school classmate Retsina Meyer discussed with me the latest neuroscience on erasing and restoring memories. (The novel is firmly based in fantasy, but I couldn’t resist working in what brain science I could.) Chris Lenyk gave me many tips on military strategy and psychology. And finally, Al Rosenberg gave crucial insight into the experience of people with terminal illnesses. A shout-out as well to the Writing in the Margins Database for connecting me with Al.

My husband, as always, was a supportive presence throughout the ups and downs of the novel-writing process, as were my parents and extended family.

And a thank-you, finally, to my daughter, who grew her major organ systems as I wrote the first draft, kicked her way through revisions, and kindly waited until copy edits were finished before making her grand entrance into the world. I wouldn’t say you made any part of this process easier, but all the same, I couldn’t ask for a better writing partner.

Also by Livia Blackburne

Midnight Thief

Daughter of Dusk

About the Author

LIVIA BLACKBURNE, a New York Times best-selling author, wrote her first novel while researching the neural correlates of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full-time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a three-tesla MRI scanner. Livia is also the author of Midnight Thief, an Indies Introduce New Voices selection, and its sequel, Daughter of Dusk. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Keep Reading for a Sneak Peek at Umbertouched

Keep reading for a sneak peek at Umbertouched!

You can tell plague guards by their fear. Some hold their sword hilts as if trying to crush them to dust. Others jump at the slightest brush of wind. Still others look fine from a distance, but up close, you see how wide their eyes are, how their gazes jump from bird to grass to stone.

You’d think that guarding a quarantine of civilians would be easier than fighting a battle. I mean, you’re not staring down a line of archers or charging into a wall of spears. But somehow it’s worse. Maybe it’s because there’s no fighting to heat up the blood, or because you can’t kill a fever with a sword. Whatever the reason, every soldier guarding the walls of Taof is terrified, and the citizens pay the price. This morning, a woman strayed too close to the perimeter and ended up with seven arrows in her back.