The Holders (28 page)

 

Acknowledgements

 

If I may paraphrase Confucius, “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll show you the book you’ll write.”

OK, that may not be entirely accurate, but I’m pretty sure that most authors would agree when I say that the people around us are just as responsible for our books as we are. Our friends and family give us ideas and inspiration, they tell us when we’ve done well and when we’ve totally screwed up, and they give us the kick in the pants we need when our steam has all but run out. Without the support I’ve gotten from all the people I am lucky enough to have in my life, I know that this book would never have found its way off of my laptop. So to everyone who has lifted, encouraged, nudged, poked, kicked, shoved, and just generally put up with me; this one’s for you.

From the moment I sent my amazing agent, Carly Watters, the email telling her that I had a new book in the works, not only did she refrain from panicking at the fact that I had completely changed genres on her, but she immediately got behind The Holders and couldn’t have been more supportive. I can’t express how fortunate I feel to have her in my corner along with the rest of the PS Literary team who are nothing if not tireless advocates for each and every one of their authors.

There isn’t much I can say that would do justice to the gratitude I feel for Strange Chemistry and my brilliant editor, Amanda Rutter. They believed in my work enough to take a chance on me, and their support and enthusiasm has been more than I could ever have hoped for. To be counted as a Strange Chemistry author – as one of Amanda’s authors – is truly an honor.

Don’t tell anyone, but I can’t spell. I’m not all that great at typing either, as my fingers often have a mind of their own – a problem that auto-correct tends to only make worse. I bring this to your attention so that you can better understand what incredible, patient, and all round wonderful people my Beta Readers are. These are the people who generously give countless hours of their time to read though all the wonky, typo-ridden, early drafts of my work so that I can make it better. Mary Smith and Cathy Pleskovich: my proofreaders, Elizabeth Shaw: my resident go-to, Samantha Smith: my detail-oriented YA expert, Mary Arnold: a surprise fan and always my cheerleader (also my grandma), Patti, Beth F., Jocelyn, Beth L., Ondrew, Julie: my Chocolate Books support system, and Natori Walters: the first person to read my work who was actually a young adult.

A huge thank you to fellow author, Carol Oats, who was kind enough to call upon her Irish heritage to help me make some sense out of the beautiful but incredibly complicated pronunciations of Irish Gaelic. Big hugs are also due to one of my best virtual friends and queen of my online support system, Angela Cook, whose passion, drive, and positive attitude never fail to impress me.

Finally, to my amazing husband, without whom this book would still have huge plot holes, nameless characters, and a missing chapter. Your endless support is the only reason I am able to do this at all, and not a day goes by that I am not amazed by everything you have done to help my dreams come true. You’ve read, plotted, sacrificed, listened, re-read, listened some more, changed diapers, fed kids, and eaten cereal for dinner more nights than any grown man should ever have to. Anything I need, you find a way to get it for me, and anywhere I need to be, somehow you always get me there. Thank you for believing in me and making me the luckiest woman in the world.

 

About The Author

 

Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she’d been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she’d never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she’d gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.

 

juliannascottauthor.com
 

 

STRANGE CHEMISTRY

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Strange Chemistry #8

A Strange Chemistry paperback original 2013

1

Copyright © Julianna Scott 2013

Julianna Scott asserts the moral right to be

identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available

from the British Library.

UK Paperback ISBN: 978 1 90884 442 2

US Trade Paperback ISBN: 978 0 90884 443 9

eBook ISBN: 978 1 90884 444 6

Typeset in Sabon by Argh! Oxford

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by

way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or

otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in

any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is

published and without a similar condition including this

condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and

incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or

localities is entirely coincidental.