A sincere thank you as Dalí hits the galaxy tomorrow

My books aren’t finished without a cast of dozens behind the scenes. Without them, the final product would be diminished. Tomorrow, Dalí is released into the galaxy, and the ride has already been wild.

What follows below is the dedication page, but I would also like to thank my editor, Barb Toth, cover artist Natasha Snow, and the publisher, Nine Star Press, headed by Raevyn McCann. Their expertise shows in the final product.

As always, my love and gratitude to my family, who have to live with the crazy writer-lady and her imaginary friends.

Dedication

For Michaela, Tyler, and Arin: different shades of the same spectrum—all amazing young people who give me hope for the future of the human race.

Acknowledgements

This book is the product of generosity on many levels.

I would like to thank the Tumblr genderfluid community, specifically Andropologist, for boosting my signal when I asked for help developing my book’s characters. Several people answered my questionnaire and helped me make the fictional souls in this story more believable, honest, and I hope presented in a respectful light. I am grateful for their willingness to help.

My critique partners once more went above and beyond. I would like to thank Michael Mammay for giving my first draft the tough love it needed and some excellent advice on action scenes, Colleen Halverson for pointing out some serious late-draft issues I hadn’t considered, and James Stryker for letting me know I was on the right track with this book. My alpha and beta readers braved many levels of mediocrity and still encouraged me to finish: thank you to Janean Dobos, Ashley Miller, and Katharine Henry Alexander.

Grandmaster Wannabe Ninja Katharine and her husband, Kudo Sensei JD Alexander of Iron Forged Martial Arts, also gave me some excellent advice on structuring my zezjna sequences. Any inconsistencies in martial arts philosophy or execution are completely my own.

Developmental editor Jami Nord was hugely inspirational, encouraging, and full of writing wisdom. *bows down* Thank you so very, very much for your help in sensitivity reading, my endless questions, and for encouraging me to take it “from jalapeño to habañero!”