First and foremost, Kari Sutherland: the best advocate of my writing and career that I could ever ask for. And Jen Monroe, whose sharp eye saw the shape of this book from afar and helped shepherd it into existence. What would I do without you two?
I thank the indomitable marketing and publicity teams at Berkley for their passion, diligence, and excitement for both The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte, especially Lauren Burnstein, Tina Joell, Craig Burke, and the incomparable Jessica Mangicaro. I also thank the publishing team, especially Claire Zion and Jeanne-Marie Hudson, for their support and enthusiasm for my writing. I must also raise a glass to the art team and cover designers for their gorgeous work—it never fails to thrill and delight me how silly sketches of mine become gorgeous map graphics and how beautifully typeset pages and stunning covers alike can bring me to tears. Your work means the world to me.
I surely would have lost my mind while writing this book without my Clarion West 2018 classmates B. Pladek, N. Theodoridou, and Ewen Ma; the sidesplittingly hilarious Berkley debut group (aka the Berkletes); and the writers I have had the immense fortune of becoming friends with and receiving support and advice from on this bumpy publishing ride, especially Hannah Whitten, Tanvi Berwah, and Shannon Chakraborty. Thank you all so much for your wisdom and brilliant, inspirational spirits.
To my University of Chicago support system, without whom I would have never made it out alive with a doctorate clutched in one white-knuckled fist: Sam, Annie, Kyle, Mohsin, Betül, and Sarah L., but especially my adviser, Hakan Karateke, whose patience and encouragement as I drafted this book in between writing chapters of my dissertation I never took for granted. Te?ekkür ederim, hocam.
I am deeply indebted to Jeanne Cavelos for being so flexible as tight publishing deadlines and unexpected life hiccups interrupted my time at the Odyssey Writing Workshop, but also for feedback and wisdom that made this book better and fills me with confidence and joy as I face down future books (and the challenges they may bring). I am a changed writer (and pre-writer, and reviser, and reader) thanks to you and to Odyssey. I also thank Scott H. Andrews for thorough feedback and sharp insight on the opening of this novel.
I thank my friends for cheering me on as I wrote, but especially Kara, Debbie, Christine, and Liam for early reads and enthusiasm. You mean the world to me.
This was the most difficult book I have ever written, yet at the same time, the characters and setting came to me with an ease and clarity that left me slightly suspicious. But then I remember that I wrote it because of my family, for my family, and could not have written it without my family. I thank Aunt Rori for providing space in her home to write, for descriptions of weather and flora in the Valley, and for delicious food and chats over top-shelf zinfandel. I thank my mom, not just for discussions of the Valley, for her history books, and for allowing me to read her thesis, “Un Lugar Intermedio: A Place In Between” (MA Dartmouth College, 2014), but for wisdom and endless support. I thank my grandparents, Elvira Ca?as and Arnulfo Flores, for telling me stories about their pasts and their families while I sat at their kitchen table, drinking it all in. I thank the rest of my loud, beloved, outrageously funny family for not just their support, but for being a constant source of storytelling inspiration. I would do anything to make y’all laugh (and squeal with fear!) while reading my books.
I thank my in-laws Mary, Michael, and Alison for cheering me through fast-drafting and exhausting revisions and for reminding me to celebrate every milestone. You are shelter when the going gets rough. I love you all.
Thank you, Honore, my dear violence adviser, for dislocating Néstor’s shoulder. Thank you, Aurora, for teaching Nena how to aim a gun. (I promise the next book will be less scary. I might be crossing my fingers.) Thank you, Javi, for lending your name and for starring alongside Pollo. You all keep me humble and enrich my soul.
And finally, Rob—my story doctor, my pillar, my rock. You are the reason I could tackle one more chapter each night and are the heart of every story I write. I could not do this without you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ISABEL CA?AS is a Mexican American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, among other places, she has settled in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.