The Broken Lands (49 page)

I don't write my stories with the intention of creating social commentary, but sometimes the story does what it wants and carries the writer along with it. I hope that, first and foremost, you will read this book as the adventure tale I set out to write. But if you find something else there, that's okay, too. By reading it, you help to create its message and its meaning. The absolute best that I can hope for you is that just as Jin finds the
Port-fire Book
to be not only a book of formulas, you will find
The Broken Lands
to be not only a good story, but a True Book.

I was able to move to New York and survive here thanks to the kindness of a lot of people, and I became a writer thanks to the kindness of so many others. I hope that you know who you are, and how grateful I am. But since this is a book about New York, special gratitude goes to Mary Monroe and Craig Garcia, each of whom helped me to survive here and made me a better writer.

Without the people in the dedication, I would not have written this book, but it would not have been nearly so good a book without the help of my amazing critique group (Cathy Giordano, Christine Johnson, Cynthia Henzel, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Ayarbe, Lindsay Eland, Lisa Amowitz, Pippa Bayliss, Trish Heng, and Linda Budzinski); the fabulous Kid Editors (Emma, Edie, Luci, and Mason); Meredith Schweig, who proofread the Mandarin words in the text; my agent, Ann Behar; and my editor, Lynne Polvino. Thank you all for your hard work and your friendship.

Most of all, I'd like to thank my family, both immediate and extended. I love you all desperately, and I have become who I am because of you.

 

Kate Milford is the author of
The Boneshaker,
has written for stage and screen, and is a regular travel columnist for the Nagspeake Board of Tourism and Culture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more, visit
www.clockworkfoundry.com
.

Andrea Offermann attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and now lives in Hamburg, Germany. Her illustrations for
The Boneshaker
marked her U.S. publishing debut. To find out more about Andrea and her work, please visit
www.andreaoffermann.com
.