Rain (25 page)

Yatta (ne):

“I did it!” or a general “Yay!” With
ne
it means “You did it, didn’t you?” Sort of like “Good job!” (
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)

Yo:

A speech particle used for emphasis (
Go back
)

Yomi:

The Shinto World of Darkness or the land of the dead. It can be compared to Hell (
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)

Yoyo tsuri:

A balloon yo-yo, often part of a festival fishing game (
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)

Yukata:

A lightweight summer kimono (
Go back
)

Yuzu:

A citrus fruit that tastes like a mix between grapefruit and orange (
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)

Zabuton:

A cushion used for sitting on the floor (
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)

I am so grateful to everyone who gave their time, energy and encouragement to make
Rain
the story it is. Thank you to the Harlequin TEEN team, who make it possible for me to share Katie and Tomo’s story. To my editor, T.S. Ferguson, who understands my characters and world and propels my writing to a higher level so that I am always growing. Natashya Wilson, Annie Stone and all the lovely people in Editorial, thank you for believing in my characters and my stories.

Erin Craig and Kathleen Oudit—you give Tomohiro a voice through your wonderful interpretations of his art. To Mary Sheldon, a rock star and kindred spirit, with gratitude for your encouragement, friendship and keen editorial eye. To Amy Jones, Lisa Wray, Kristin Errico, Kathleen Reed and all the wonderful people who have worked on
Rain,
thank you so much for making it possible for me to tell my story in a beautifully put-together book.

Thank you to my dear agent Melissa Jeglinski, who never fails to believe in and support me. Working with you is a joy.

With gratitude and love to Kevin and Emily, who tirelessly wash dishes, drive me to book events and tiptoe around my office so that I have the time I need to write. I couldn’t do it without you, I really couldn’t. I’m so grateful.

Thank you to the dear friends who’ve helped me to shape
Rain.
To Lisa and Ivan Liew for making sure the police procedures in the book were as accurate as possible, and to Kate Larking and her mom for answering my odd questions about wrist fractures. I am grateful to my friends in Japan for giving me a second home I delight in visiting when I write about the Paper Gods. To Mio Matsui, for her expertise in Japanese slang and teen life, and to the Hasegawa and Sugino families for their kindness and generosity.

I am moved by the support and encouragement of all my writer friends and beta readers: Winston Fong, a kindred spirit who allows me to abstract about life, writing and cosplay; Linda van der Pal for our adventures in meeting Neil Gaiman; Leah Peterson and Eve Silver for their incredible cheerleading and inspiration; and Lance Schonberg and Tanya Gough for your friendship as we navigate these publishing waters. Thanks also to the MSFVers and the Lucky 13s, the two writing communities that keep me afloat. And to Nerdfighteria and the cosplay community for being my safe havens of awesomeness and acceptance.

Finally, to my readers: your words and letters have deeply moved me, and I am so grateful to connect with you through my stories. Thank you for allowing me the greatest gift, to share the worlds in my head with you and to give my characters true life through your eyes and ears. I wish you all great possibility.

Now that Katie has discovered the truth about Tomohiro’s powers, can she find a way to quell his dark side for good?
And how far will Jun go to achieve his goals?
Look for the thrilling conclusion to
THE PAPER GODS
series coming summer 2015!

“The work of a master storyteller.”
—Julie Kagawa,
New York Times
bestselling author of The Iron Fey series

If you loved
Rain,
don’t miss
Ink
and
Shadow
(novella) in the Paper Gods series also by Amanda Sun.

Available now in ebook format!

Connect with us on
www.miraink.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Facebook.com/miraink
Twitter.com/miraink

“Captivating, mysterious, fun and deep…for readers of John Green or any realistic YA authors, I would highly recommend this new wonderful novel.”
—Fresh Fiction

Five Strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. Don’t miss one of the most anticipated debuts of 2014,
Let’s Get Lost
(August 2014) by Adi Alsaid.
Available in ebook.

Order your copy today!

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila’s own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth—sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way.

Connect with us on
www.miraink.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Facebook.com/miraink
Twitter.com/miraink