The Curse of Deadman's Forest (43 page)

A moment later a small thin shadow formed on the dial’s surface and both boys gave a triumphant shout. “Well then,” said Carl, “shall we be off to find your gardener, then?”

Ian looked back at the keep and saw Theo still sitting on the front steps. She waved to him and nodded, as if she knew exactly what they were up to. “Yeah, mate,” he said. “Let’s have a go at it.”

Thirty years ago, my sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Lindstrom, practiced something quite unconventional for the time. Every morning from eight to eight-twenty, he would read to us from J. R. R. Tolkien’s
The Hobbit
.

Even now I clearly recall Mr. Lindstrom in his starched white shirt, striped tie, and polyester pants standing at the front of the classroom, holding his book aloft, and delighting us with his many character voices. Those were the days when I would go to school even if I felt sick, because I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen next.

And that was the moment I fell in love with fantasy. I’d never heard a story quite like
The Hobbit
before, and even my unsophisticated twelve-year-old mind understood that Tolkien was a true master.

So it is appropriate, I think, to begin these acknowledgments with a humble nod to both Mr. Lindstrom and Mr. Tolkien for delivering the marvelous Mr. Bilbo Baggins to my young, impressionable mind. It was love at first hobbit.

I would also like to thank my phenomenally talented editor, Krista Marino, who—I state without any hint of exaggeration—
is quite plainly the best children’s editor in the business. (No kidding. She really is.)

Krista, thank you so much for your encouragement, your kind praise, and most of all, those tough questions you raise throughout the editing process. You really do pull the very best out of me, and I’m really, really grateful.

Of course, I must also give my profound thanks to the very best agent in the biz, one Mr. Jim McCarthy. Jim, there simply aren’t words to describe how appreciative I am to you not only for giving me the best representation an author could ask for, but for being my good and faithful friend too. I adore you head to toe, sugar, and I thank you for always looking out for me.

Special thanks should also be given to my publicist, Kelly Galvin, who works tirelessly on my behalf. Kelly, this “nice” is for you!

And thank you also to my publisher, Beverly Horowitz, whose faith in this series has meant the world to me. I must also give praise to the marvelous artistic talents of my designer, Vikki Sheatsley, and cover artist Antonio Javier Caparo. Antonio, this latest cover knocked my socks off!

Personal thanks also go to my friends and family, but if I may single out just a few here who have graciously given their support or supplied some form of inspiration to this particular series, they would be Carl and Ruth Laurie; Mary Jane Humphreys; Elizabeth Laurie; Hilary Laurie; Betty and Pippa Stocking; Nora, Bob, and Mike Brosseau; Katie Coppedge; Dr. Jennifer Casey; Ingrid Brault; Thomas Robinson; and Karen Ditmars. I humbly and profusely thank you all.

When Victoria Laurie was eleven, her family moved from the United States to England for a year. She attended the American Community School at Cobham, and one day, while on a class field trip, she caught her first glimpse of the White Cliffs of Dover. Her trip to the cliffs, the year abroad, and her grandfather’s stories of his childhood as an orphan left such an indelible impression on her that when she turned to a career as an author, she was compelled to write the Oracles of Delphi Keep series.
The Curse of Deadman’s Forest
is the second book in this series. The first book,
Oracles of Delphi Keep
, is available from Delacorte Press.

You can visit Victoria at
www.oraclesofdelphikeep.com
.