Flash Fire by T.J. Klune
CREDITS
When I released The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries in 2020, they were my first books with my new publishers, Tor and Tor Teen. Acknowledgments are written well in advance of publication, so while an author knows who the people working on their books are, when it comes to the first book(s), you don’t quite know just how hard people work on your behalf until the books come out.
This is just a long-winded way of saying that without the following people working their butts off on my behalf, my stories wouldn’t have reached even a fraction of the audience they have. I am the writer, yes; but these lovely people are the ones working behind the scenes to get my books to you. They deserve all the praise.
First is Deidre Knight, my agent, without whom none of this would be possible. She worked tirelessly to find my books the best possible home, and I have never felt as lucky with a publisher as I do with Tor and Tor Teen. Thanks to Deidre and the team at the Knight Agency, including Elaine Spencer, who handles all the foreign rights to my books. If one of my titles is getting translated into a different language, you can bet that’s because Elaine is working behind the scenes to make that happen.
Next, Ali Fisher, who is—without question—the best editor I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Not only does she get me (my sense of humor can be a little … out there, as you probably know if you’ve made it this far), but she also believes in the stories I want to tell. Without her guidance, I’d be a floundering mess and using, commas, after, every, word. Also, OxfordComma4Life.
Also on the editing side is assistant editor Kristin Temple. Kristin keeps me sane, which isn’t an easy task. Any time I get an email from her, I know I’m going to get to see something ridiculously awesome, and she is a true cheerleader for my books. Thanks, Kristin.
To the sensitivity readers, Margeaux and Jon Reyes—who read the book and provided wonderful feedback—thank you. Your insights were not only welcome but necessary and invaluable. You both made this story better, and I am profoundly grateful for it.
Saraciea Fennell and Anneliese Merz are the best publicists, full stop. I am responsible for at least sixteen thousand emails in their in-boxes on a monthly basis, and they never reply with TJ, KNOCK IT OFF, YOU DON’T HAVE TO EMAIL US TO ASK IF IT’S OKAY TO TWEET WHAT YOU HAD FOR DINNER. Instead, they hold my hand and tell me everything will be all right. Also, every public appearance I make—every panel I participate in or book tour stop I make—is because of their planning. I don’t know how they do it. They’re the real Extraordinaries.
The higher-ups—though the exact opposite of Extremely Upper Management—are Tor Teen Publisher Devi Pillai; President of Tom Doherty Associates Fritz Foy; Vice President, Director of Marketing Eileen Lawrence; Executive Director of Publicity Sarah Reidy; Vice President of Marketing and Publicity Lucille Rettino; and Chairman/Founder of TDA Tom Doherty. My books exist with Tor and Tor Teen because they exist. Thank you for letting me tell queer stories the way I want to. These people are some of my biggest cheerleaders, and I adore them.
Anthony Parisi is the marketing lead, and it’s because of him that you see my face and book covers a lot (perhaps more than you’d like to, but that’s okay; my covers are great, and I do like my face). Anthony is a delight, and he comes up with the best ideas. Thank you, Anthony.
Isa Caban works with Anthony as the marketing manager, and she is a rad person doing rad things. I wish I could be as rad as her.
An additional marketing lead is Becky Yeager. Though she mostly works on my adult books, I want to thank her here too because she rocks and deserves to be mentioned. Hi, Becky!
Sarah Pannenberg—the digital marketing coordinator—runs Tor Teen’s social media accounts, so if you ever see me snarking at them, you know Sarah is on the other side, rolling their eyes as they play along with me. Thank you, Sarah!
On the production side of things, you have production editor Melanie Sanders, production manager Steven Bucsok, interior designer Heather Saunders, and jacket designer Lesley Worrell. See how pretty this book looks? That’s because of them. Thank you.
Also, thank you to Lynn Schmidt and Mia Gardiner for beta reading. They’re the first to read my books, and they are excellent at what they do while also telling me I might be pretty good at this whole writing thing. Thanks, ladies.
I would also like to thank Shawn O’Neal and Jennifer Ho, professors at the University of Colorado Boulder. Though we’ve never met, I am in their debt. They taught the online course I took called Anti-Racism—it was humbling and illuminating, and it should be a requirement for all white people.
And to you, dear reader. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me, Nick, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby. They’ll be back for one last ride before you know it, and I can’t wait for you to see how it all ends.
TJ Klune
March 25, 2021
(Oh, and one more thing: turn the page, won’t you? Because Flash Fire isn’t quite over yet. Someone’s been keeping secrets …)