Gathering Deep (28 page)

Acknowledgments

Writing a book is such a solitary process. It's hours and hours staring at a small, glowing screen, buried in a world that only you can see. And yet it's a process that depends on so many people that readers rarely notice. So as I wrap up the final book in this series, I need to take a moment and thank those people who made this possible: first, Brian Farrey-Latz, who took a chance on the world in these books and allowed me to finish the story of Le Ciel Doux, and the entire team at Flux for helping to make these books a reality.

Kathleen Rushall deserves my unending thanks. It's having an ally like her in my corner that makes this whole publishing thing work, and I count myself fortunate every day that I get to work with her.

So many people read versions of this book and gave me invaluable feedback along the way: Hope Cook, Lisa Robinson, Kathryn Rose, Emma Kress, Kristen Lippert-Martin, and Marci Curtis. This book wouldn't have happened without their astute eyes and willingness to be open and honest.

When I wrote
Sweet Unrest
, I'd always planned on Thisbe being more than just the big bad. Much of her story, especially the gory details of the German Coast uprising, comes straight from the history books. Daniel Rasmussen's book
American Uprising
is essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about the brave men and women who made a stand for their freedom in 1811 and the horrible cost they paid. But while I've tried to make the history in this book accurate, I've taken quite a few liberties with the magic. For more about what Voodoo really looks like in the Delta region, I'd suggest the incomparable Zora Neale Hurston's
Mules and Men
and
Tell My Horse
.

Finally, I have to thank my family—I'm grateful for my boys, who didn't mutiny while Mama was staring at her computer. And, of course, to Jason, who never ceases to amaze me with his willingness to support my writing and me, even when I'm at my worst. None of this would mean anything without my guys.

About the Author

Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, Lisa Maxwell liked reading so much that she gave up her rather sensible idea of becoming a lawyer and decided instead to get a not-so-sensible degree in English. And then she got another … and another. It seems to have worked out. When she's not writing books, she teaches English at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband and two not-so-patient boys. You can visit her online at www.lisa-maxwell.com or find her most days on Twitter @LisaMaxwellYA.