This book is really about family, and I’ve got a top-tier one. Thanks to my aunts, uncles, and great-uncle, who taught me how to play mahjong and how to appreciate a good coupon. To Peach and Woody, who are, in my unbiased opinion, the cutest cat and dog in the land of Cambridge. To my brother, Jeffrey, for being a role model, but also for being silly. To Jimmy, whose support has made all the difference—all of Torou’s best qualities are yours. To my father, who taught me to love technology. And to my mother, whose care for my grandparents at the end of their lives has shaped my definition of love.

To my cousin Lin King—Yun and Meng pass stories to each other because you and I did first. I can’t wait to read what you write next.

And of course, to my grandparents, who raised me, fed me both fast food and the best home-cooked food, and told me stories of their home and of their pencil company. 謝謝外公外婆。永遠不會忘記你們的愛❤️♾️

About the Author

ALLISON KING is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. She is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel.

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