Duskfall (60 page)
Authors: Christopher B. Husberg
Just when I thought I couldn’t make the novel any better, my editor, Miranda Jewess, entered the picture and put
Duskfall
through the editorial fire. The polish and clarity of the book you hold in your hands are in large part due to her meticulous critical eye.
Scott Morris, Marc Cameron, Rachel Husberg, Chris Welton, and Christopher English were phenomenal beta readers. Their feedback was invaluable, and I’m truly grateful they lent me their brains for a while. Steve Diamond also deserves a shout out. He’s one of the most intelligent readers I know, and on more than one occasion he’s spoken up for me and my writing when I’ve been too shy to do it myself. He’s a great writer and a great friend.
I’ve had a lot of fantastic teachers in my life, and they’ve played a part in shaping me as a person and as a writer. I’m especially grateful for Martin Lang, Sally Cook, Kelly Kirk, Kathy Steele, Madison Sowell, and Steve Tuttle. Speaking of educators, Brandon Sanderson taught me a lot about the craft of writing science fiction and fantasy, but he taught me even more about the business, and there’s no way I’d be where I am now without his advice. His encouraging and enthusiastic critique of the first draft of Duskfall in his class eight years ago was a huge motivator for me to keep writing and keep revising. I’m privileged to have learned so much from such a phenomenal author.
Mom and Dad: thank you for reading to me and helping me tell stories when I was young. You told me I could dream, and you believed in me when I did. I can never thank you enough for that.
My parents-in-law deserve a special thanks as well. It’s one thing to support an aspiring author—it’s quite another to support one who wants to marry your daughter. That takes a special kind of courage, and I’m grateful for it.
So many other family members deserve my thanks—they’ve all been an incredible support to me through the process of writing this book. Their enthusiasm and excitement mean the world to me, and I’m so grateful to have each of them in my life.
This book was my baby until my actual baby Buffy came along, and even though she’s only been around for the tail-end of the process, I somehow can’t help but thank her and be grateful for every moment I spend with her. She makes my life better.
If you combined all of the love, support, patience, and investment of each of the people I’ve listed above into one person, that person would still be a poor facsimile of my wife, Rachel. Her steadfast confidence in me is what makes this book—and my writing—possible.
C
HRISTOPHER
H
USBERG GREW UP
in Eagle River, Alaska. He now lives in Utah, and spends his time writing, reading, hiking, and playing video games, but mostly hanging out with his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Buffy. He received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and an honorary PhD in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
from himself.
Duskfall
is his first novel. The next installment in the Chaos Queen Quintet,
Dark Immolation
, will be published by Titan Books in June 2017.
