All the authors that I’ve had the pleasure and HONOR of becoming friends with over the past three and a half years…there’s just so many: Jessica Brody, Leigh Bardugo, Andrew Smith, Aaron Hartzler, Tonya Kuper, Morgan Matson, Cassandra Clare, Robin Benway, Valerie Tejeda, Catherine Linka, Lauren Miller, Michelle Levy, Cinda Williams Chima, Cora Carmack, Gretchen McNeil, Josephine Angelini, Marie Lu, Carrie Arcos, James Dashner, Tammara Webber…I literally could go on for ages. Thank you for being my friend, for always encouraging me, telling me to NEVER give up, and for giving the best advice.
Thank you to baseball and books and cupcakes and Asian food for keeping me sane. Writing is hard!
To all the aspiring writers out there: DON’T. GIVE. UP. Don’t do it. Ever. It may seem easy to, or it may seem like it’s never going to happen, but it is. Don’t ever give up. Write, write, write. Never stop.
A HUGE, GINORMOUS, MASSIVE thank you to Benjamin Alderson, aka BenjaminOfTomes, aka the founder and brains of OfTomes Publishing. Thank you so much for loving this book and for giving it the chance that I’ve always thought it deserved. Thank you for making this real!
Lastly, thank you to YOU, the reader, the person holding this book, in whatever format you chose…you are the literal best. Even if only one person (besides my dad) buys this book, you’re making my dream come true. Hugs and kisses!
Sara Elizabeth Santana is a young adult and new adult fiction writer. She has worked as a smoothie artist, Disneyland cast member, restaurant supervisor, nanny, photographer, pizza delivery driver and barista but writing is what she loves most. She runs her own nerd girl/book review blog, What A Nerd Girl Says. She lives in Southern California with her dad, five siblings and two dogs. Her debut novel is The Awakened. Visit her at sesantanawrites.com for more!