I have met countless people over the past seventeen years who have left an imprint on my authorial soul—too many to name. I am fortunate to count among my friends and mentors many librarians, reading instructors, and media specialists. Their passion has been contagious. Every writer needs a critique group. Mine was nothing short of exceptional. Brad and Darlyn Kuhn, Marcea Ulster, Jackie Dolomore, Alison Jackson, Laura Murray, Anna Khaki, Angie Greenwood, and Leslie Santamaria. So many thanks for your amazing insight. Lezlie Laws and Mary Ann de Stefano, we should write around town more often. Everyone at SCBWI, but especially my Florida peeps, led by the inimitable Linda Bernfeld—good times, great meetings!

Many thanks to Alan Boyko, leader of the pack, who saw something in that early writing and took a chance on me. Thanks to my incredibly dedicated coworkers all over the country who are in this business for all the right reasons. You are a daily source of inspiration. Great heaps of gratitude to the biggest fixers of all—my agent, Marcia Wernick, and my editor, Nick Eliopulos. Nick, I will never understand how you turn my pile of scraps into an edible feast. And to my wife, Barbara. Writing takes time. Carving out spare time means taking away share time. Your endless patience and steadfast encouragement have been the keys to our success.

About the Author

Born in nineteen something, Ed Masessa is the second oldest of ten children. He was raised in the small town of Middlesex, New Jersey, where he lived until moving to the sweltering swamp known as Florida. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Rutgers University—neither of which pertains to his current job.

Ed has been a child all his life, subscribing to the Chili Davis philosophy that “growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.” Formerly employed as a grease monkey, office cleaner, fast-food manager, forklift operator, truck driver, warehouse supervisor, sales rep, and automotive purchasing manager, he has spent the past nineteen years at Scholastic Book Fairs, where he has devoted his life to finding books that will turn every child into a lifelong reader.

After reading many, many, many books, Ed began to write himself. His second book, The Wandmaker’s Guidebook, had a nine-week run on the New York Times bestseller list, including two weeks at #1. He has also written several works of nonfiction. Scarecrow Magic, his first picture book, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Wandmaker is his debut novel.