Bound Together (26 page)

acknowledgements

This story started out as most do: as a simple idea. I generally start with characters and then build a story around them, and
bound together
wasn't any different.

The original intent was as an entry for National Novel Writer's Month and wow, it's sure come a long way from those humble beginnings. I've participated in the challenge before, but
bound together
was the first time I ever actually met my goal. I started a little late, with the first week of November already behind me, but the words just flowed—or rather, the words poured forth in a torrent! I met the 50,000 word goal less than two weeks after I started, but I really loved this story, these characters and this world, so I just kept going.

I have a number of people to thank for their help with everything that led to the completion and publishing of my first novel-length work.

I'd like to first thank one of my closest friends—family, really, because love is more important than blood—who also happens to be my editor. Without your relentlessness in driving me forward, I doubt would be half as good a writer as I am. Thanks, Kyle. You always know how to light a fire under my ass and keep me on my toes!

I'd also like to give thanks to Adrienne, my
other
closest friend, for her exceptional work on the minimalist and lovely cover art that graces this novel. She did a fantastic job with it, as if her hands were capable of conjuring my thoughts into digital reality.

Other people I'd like to thank for their indirect contributions to
bound together
include pretty much all of my friends. Andrew, Halley, multiple different Sarahs, Amelia, Janice all contributed to my life in many ways, and while they may not have directly had influence on the writing process, my friendship with all of them helped inspire me to keep writing no matter what.

about the author

Hi there! My name is Corinn Heathers, and I'm the author!

Most about-the-author blurbs are written in the third person, but I find it tiresome and dull to do so. So here it is, from the top: I'm a lesbian transgender woman, quite a girly girl, a nerd and an author of speculative fiction.

I love to write science fiction and fantasy, or science fantasy fiction, or science fiction masquerading as fantasy and everything in between. As you might have noticed, I write stories with predominately female (and often queer) casts, often with mixed-race or otherwise non-white protagonists and supporting characters. I take great pleasure in subverting the usual tropes and cliches common in sci-fi and fantasy stories.

The San Francisco Bay Area is where I call home—no surprise there, right? The cost of living is awful, but the weather's always mild and the food is
fantastic
. There aren't many places I'd really rather be.

Social media-wise, I mostly use Twitter, @syn010110. I sometimes update my tumblr, which can be found at
syn010110.tumblr.com
. It's mostly covered up in fanart and various fandom squee, but I do often post pop culture rants (usually about LGBT issues and representation in entertainment media), articles about my writing process and other random things that strike my fancy.

Readers can contact me directly at
[email protected]
, which I do check reasonably often. I'd be more than happy to read and respond to emails from my readership!