Thank you, a million times, to my community of fellow writers who had a hand in shaping Warmaidens from the ground up. To Lillian Clark, Gita Trelease, and Heather Christie, thank you for your beautiful friendship and thoughtful critiques that helped me craft this jumbled pile of emotion and words into a story I’m proud to have my name on.

To my Tampa writers’ coven—Sorboni Banerjee, Dominique Richardson, and Linda Hurtado—I’m blessed to be included in your witchery. Long live handsome pirates and good wine. Huzzah!

To Lillian Clark, Erin Hahn, Keena Roberts, Brigid Kemmerer, Isabel Ibañez, Natasha Díaz, Rory Power, Shelby Mahurin, and Calvin Dillon, you don’t know how often your texts and messages have saved me from writing gloom and general publishing angst. Thank you for understanding and for always being there no matter what. To RuthAnne Snow and Sarah Lyu—WOW, we friggin’ made it (dies a little inside)—and I love you both to pieces. To L. D. Crichton and Shelby Mahurin, thank you for prying me out of my self-imposed technical jams just because you’re kind. We need more people like you in this world.

To Kell’s Skeleton Crew, you are mighty and I adore you! Thank you for launching my books with me and for being the most creative, inclusive, and accepting street team on the planet! Wooo!

To the booksellers and librarians who have stocked my stories, invited me to come hang out with you, and cheered me on from afar, your support has literally been one of the most unexpected blessings in my life.

Thank you to my bestie, Hez, who sends me feminist podcasts and videos that make me tear up; to my cousin-sister, Lacey, who sends me memes that make me die laughing when I’m under deadline; and to my entire mom squad—including my Moms Gone WOD team and my MTC Moms group—who show up for me over and over again.

To my mom and dad, thank you for being proud of me and getting both your bingo and church friends to buy my books. I love you! To Michael, thank you for faithfully listening to me talk about my stories and then reading them under duress. To Kimmy, thank you for always supporting my social media game, no matter what nonsense I’ve posted that day.

Thank you to my husband, Matt, who is the kindest man alive and has shown me empathy, compassion, and patience from the minute we met on the beach. (You gonna kiss me or what?) To my three boys—Brady, Kaden, and Brennan—you inspire me to be a better human. Thank you for being a light on my darkest days.

And lastly, to my readers—to YOU!—thank you so much for reading this series. You’ve made my dreams come true and I am forever grateful for your generosity. Here’s to many more years of storytelling adventures together.

Cheers!

KELLY COON is the author of Gravemaidens, an editor for Blue Ocean Brain, a former high school English teacher, and a wicked karaoke singer in training. She adores giving female characters the chance to flex their muscles and use their brains. She lives near Tampa with her three sons, her brilliant husband, and a rescue pup who will steal your sandwich.