For Darkness Shows the Stars (34 page)

T
HEY NEED TO MAKE
some kind of medal for editors who go above and beyond the call of duty. Kristin Rens, you are a goddess of patience. Were it not for a constancy rivaling Elliot North’s and your passionate belief in this story, I would have gone mad four letter-rearrangements ago. Thanks also to Sara Sargent, who possesses a name worthy of a captain of the Cloud Fleet. I will always cherish your declaration about what you’d do if Kai and Elliot didn’t work it out. I am also grateful to the entire team at Balzer + Bray: Alessandra Balzer, Donna Bray, Emilie Polster, Caroline Sun, Amy Ryan, Joel Tippie, Jon Howard, and Margery Tippie.

I am in debt to my agent, Deidre Knight, for convincing me that I could write this book and helping me dig for the perfect title. Special thanks go to first readers Justine Larbalestier (who called from the other side of the world), Jacki Smith, and Mari Mancusi; Erica Ridley for her brilliant brainstorming advice and Lavinia Kent for her historical romance know-how. And to Carrie Ryan, who offered countless hours of encouragement, brainstorming, critique, admonishment, comfort, and last will and testament wording assistance . . . what do you want? A kidney? A crate of champagne? My firstborn? (Just kidding about that last one—don’t look so scared!)

And to my husband, who got all excited at the thought of me finally writing sci-fi (and less so when I clarified that it would be
Jane Austen
sci-fi), I hope I haven’t scandalized you with the absence of tech. (I’ll make it up to you next time.) I will never forget our brainstorming session of “but what
caused
the apocalypse?”

I’m so lucky to have real-world friends who’ll listen to me blather on about the imaginary ones in my books: Elizabeth, Glenn, Chris, Megan, Adam, Maria, Ernie, Eva, Dana, and Shannon; and a family kind enough not to laugh when I explained my premise (Luke, Brian, Ten) and willing to watch
Persuasion
on TV with me. (Mom and Dad—I promise, guys, good parents next time!) Thanks to Rio for being the best brainstorming-hike partner a girl could ask for, and to Eleanor for so often coming along for the ride. (I’m sorry for accidentally calling you Elliot those times.)

Thanks also to my readers who have been so excited about this story during its long, long gestation. I hope it was worth the wait.

Most of all: thank you, Jane Austen. Thank you for making me fall off the couch at sixteen as I thrilled to Mr. Darcy’s first, horrible proposal; for making me blush if Mr. Knightley so much as took Emma’s hand; and for making me cry
every single time
I read Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne. Thank you for creating these characters and these situations, for giving generations of mothers and daughters endless topics of conversation, for writing strong women and true love and happy endings. Thank you for giving me the bones of this story, and forgive me for the changes I’ve made to its DNA.

Copyright

Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

For Darkness Shows the Stars

Copyright © 2012 by Diana Peterfreund

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Peterfreund, Diana.

    For darkness shows the stars / by Diana Peterfreund.

        p.    cm.

    Summary: “Elliot North fights to save her family’s land and her own heart in this post-apocalyptic reimagining of Jane Austen’s
Persuasion
”— Provided by publisher.

    ISBN 978-0-06-200614-1

    Epub Edition © April 2012 ISBN: 9780062114372

    [1. Love—Fiction. 2. Social classes—Fiction. 3. Family problems—Fiction. 4. Science fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.P441545For    2012

2011042126

[Fic]—dc23

CIP

AC

12  13  14  15  16    
CG/RRDH
    10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

FIRST EDITION