“It’s a matter of life and death,” she says.
The ridiculously dramatic gravity of the sentence shoves off the weight of her force. “If it’s mine, you’re wasting your time.”
“It isn’t.”
“Whose, then?”
She tucks the wave of hair back behind her ear. “Someone we love.”
I’ve seen this woman’s face before, captured in black and white, in a photograph I found in a trunk of my mother’s things, with my mother standing beside her. I’ve seen her painted in bold, bright brushstrokes hanging on a wall in Mara’s house, sitting alone, commanding the attention of everyone who saw her. She is beautiful—stunningly, familiarly, and I know. Even as I ask the question, I know.
“Who are you?”
“Call me Mara,” she says, adding that fully grown smile. “Everyone else does.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK WOULDN’T EXIST WITHOUT THE READERS who read and loved Mara Dyer’s story, and wanted to read more of it. I’m deeply grateful to you for giving me the chance to share Noah’s story, and to the team at Simon & Schuster for their enthusiasm and help in getting The Shaw Confessions out into the world.
Special thanks to my editor Liz Kossnar, who jumped onto this project midstream and got it to the finish line, to Christian Trimmer, who helped me get it out of the gate, and to Lucy Ruth Cummins for making it look beautiful. I’m also always and especially grateful to my agent, Barry Goldblatt, for everything you do for me.
Thanks also to Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Kat Howard for helping me find my early footing with this book, and to Libba Bray, Nova Ren Suma, and Justin Weinberger for your encouragement along the way . Most of all, my forever-thanks to Stephanie Feldstein, who did the heaviest lifting, in every possible way.
Last but never least, I am indebted to and beyond grateful for my growing family. I couldn’t do what I do without you, and I wouldn’t be where I am without you.