Curse of Kings (The Trials of Oland Born, Book 1) (33 page)

To my agent, Darley Anderson, and to everyone at The Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency: thank you for embracing my new, magical, still-a-little-criminal world.

To my editor, Rachel Denwood, thank you for your incisive and inspiring editing. You made this a better book.

To Samantha Swinnerton, thank you for a dazzling final act performance.

To Moira Reilly, thank you for being an instant champion of Oland Born, encouraging him beyond the first three chapters and cheering him to the end.

To Tony Purdue, thank you for everything you do.

Thank you to everyone at HarperCollins Children's Books who worked on
Curse of Kings
and helped to bring it to life.

Thank you to early readers and marvellous note-givers, Lily Morgan and Vicki LeFeuvre.

Thank you to the always-generous Dr Martyn Linnie for his entomological genius.

To my wonderful parents, thank you for introducing me to books at an early age and for your constant love and support.

If there were gold medals for siblings, they would be awarded to: Ciaran, Ronan, Lanes and Damien. The same goes for sisters-in-law Melanie and Grainne.

To Sue Booth-Forbes, dear friend and freshly minted Irish citizen, thank you for the gifts you are kind enough to share every time.

To Mary Maddison, thank you for your faith and encouragement.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Ger, Lanes, and Majella for all the above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty bittts that no paragraph could contain.

Thank you to composer, David Geraghty, for your inspired pieces.

To Sue Swansborough, thank you for waves, smiles, cakes, and kindnesses.

Thank you to everyone who travelled with me on this epic journey; without you, I wouldn't have made it outside the castle walls.

Special thanks to Paul Kelly, slayer of beasts, navigator of dark caves.

Lastly, but not leastly, thank you to all the wonderful children in my life. You are incredible little people. You are the reward.

Copyright

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins
Children's
Books
in 2013

HarperCollins
Children's
Books
is a division of HarperCollins
Publishers
Ltd,

77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 8JB.

 

The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk

 

1

 

Copyright © Alex Barclay 2013

 

Source ISBN: 9780007335756

Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780007476299

Version 2

 

Alex Barclay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

 

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