Many thanks to the wondrous people who made this novel possible:
Ryan Oakes: for his endless feedback, support, and the sheer power of his belief in this novel, which propelled it from a vague idea into a tangible reality. Thank you for your unflagging love, your creative thinking, and your amusing knowledge about fantasy and fight training. Thank you for giving me the strength to stay true to my instincts and story.
For Maine: you are my wonder.
For Ron McCulley and Tricia McCulley, who are a model of patience, support, and just the right amount of parental devotion: thank you.
My elegant sister, Cynthia McCulley: thanks for always putting a smile on my face, and for agreeing to be a horse. Your shared love for dramatic music helped write this novel’s most exciting scenes. The next one is for you.
Beloved friends who helped this process by just being their superb selves as the story unfolded—Kimberly Stein, Sarah Glover, Emily Kiebel, Cassandra Splittgerber, Elizabeth Wagner, Jordan Powers, Terri Miller, Nicole London, and Karen Groves: thanks for listening when I described something in my head for hours.
My intimidating test readers—Katie Hall, Michelle Rehme, Erika Bates, Jen Lehmann, Denise McCulley, Patty and Sarah Jones, Angela Turner, Holly Cameron, and Stefanie Feustel: thank you for helping sculpt this novel into something I am very proud of.
This book passed through the hands of more than a few skilled editors: Erin Armknecht, a story and formatting editor whose input is so great that it simply cannot be calculated, Jeni Miller, whose skill and editing eye were both completely terrifying and completely accurate, Jess Riley and Wayne Parrish, the Queen of Hearts blazes so much brighter because of you.
Crystal Patriarche, Heidi Hurst, Sara DiVello, and the entire SparkPress/BookSparksPR team: you’re an amazing bunch.
To Erin Chan, equal parts charming and talented: thank you for being the striking silhouette that graces the cover.
Mae Whitman: thank you for being the inspiration behind my Dinah. You are a fierce little thing, and I admire every minute of your work.
Finally, the man, Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the most delightful, cavernous thing I have ever read. Thank you for being the true genius behind these characters, and for letting me wander, pen out, in this magnificent place.
About the Author
Colleen Oakes is the author of the Queen of Hearts saga and the Elly in Bloom series. Though relatively new to publishing, her work has garnered the Next Generation Indie Book Award in the young-adult category. She received her BA in creative writing at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. A proud member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Oakes lives in Denver with her husband and son, where she reads, swims, and writes. Connect with her at www.colleenoakes.com, at Facebook.com/authorcolleenoakes, or on Twitter @colleenblooms.