To my incredible husband for all the sacrifices he made to allow me to meet my deadlines and write when I needed to. I couldn’t do this without you and I wouldn’t want to. You’re my greatest support. Multiply Bastiaan’s awesomeness by a hundred and he still falls short of you. YAM.

To my three sweet babies. This is the first book I’ve written as a mom. Between the drafting of Romanov and Wishtress, I became a mama of three and writing has taken on a whole new meaning. I can’t wait to share these stories with you someday and tell you how I wrote them while you snuggled me. I hope you will see my love for you through Anouk and Mutti.

To my besties: Sara Ella, this would be such a different book without you. You gave me some of my best plot twists and talked me off the Ledge of Despair more than once when I got stuck. I can’t imagine ever writing a book without our daily talks and the many prayers you give for me. Ashley Townsend, my first ever reader (as always!), your love for and cheerleading behind my every story is something I value and appreciate far more than I can ever express to you. You’re the type of person I invite to live in my basement every chance I get. (Yes, it sounds creepy . . . BUT JUST DO IT, OKAY?) Sisters forever.

To my agent, Steve Laube, as always for being my Gandalf as we traverse the publishing realm. To my amazing Thomas Nelson team for all your hard work and endless time poured into making this book the best it can be. A special thank-you to Becky Monds for all the brilliant edits and ability to see so much that I couldn’t in those early drafts. Thank you, also, for tolerating my ridiculously long word count.

To Mommy (my Anouk and Mutti), for being a shining example of a mother who loves so deeply that you would still chase after your children even if you had no memory of us. This book is just a shadow of what I wish I could say. I suppose it all comes down to: I love you. And to Daddy for supporting me in all the small ways and all the big ways and all the ways that make me cry (in a good way).

To my beta readers, Megan, Libby, Lacey, Natalie, and Aaron, for giving me my first “reader feedback” and bringing me to tears over how much you connected with the story or with Myrthe or Bastiaan or Anouk or Runt.