The Alchemist of Souls: Night's Masque, Volume 1 (59 page)

Firstly, I have to credit my publisher, Marc Gascoigne of Angry Robot Books, for his great taste in fiction - not just my work, but that of the many brilliant authors whose novels he has unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Marc is a great sounding board for ideas, and puts up with the Tigger-like enthusiasm and anxiety of debut authors like myself with heroic patience. Angry Robot lieutenant Lee Harris earns my gratitude for editing and general cheerleading, and my agent John Berlyne for being our go-between and doing the boring paperwork so that I get paid for this stuff.

  These days, writers rarely work alone in freezing garrets. Between online communities and offline events, it's easier than ever to share your work with other writers and get advice and feedback. I'd therefore like to thank all the dozens, nay hundreds, of people who have helped me over the years, but in particular my writing group in Cambridge, who critiqued numerous early drafts of this book: Una McCormack, Alex Beecroft, Rebecca Payne and Naomi Clark. You girls are probably sick of the story by now, but I promise this is the final version.

  Fantasy writer and teacher extraordinaire Holly Lisle (no relation!) earns my undying thanks for her online courses on writing and editing, without which the manuscript of this book might still be languishing in revision Hell. Finally, two other authors deserve special mention for putting me on the path to publication: Ian Whates, for introducing me to Marc Gascoigne late one night in the FantasyCon bar, and Juliet E McKenna, for prodding me into attending SFF conventions in the first place.

  Behind nearly every successful author, there's a long-suffering loved one who puts up with our hours at the keyboard and inexplicable obsessions with people who don't exist. Thank you, Richard, for your infinite patience and endless cups of tea.

 

Anne Lyle,

Cambridge, 2011