ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Hey, Jem. Before I say anything else, I’m going to say this: thank you. You won’t remember this because you weren’t even three years old at the time, but you gave me the spark to bring this story to life. I’d wanted to write something inspired by the Mahabharata for a long time, but nothing ever felt right until you became obsessed with space. You rattled off the names of the planets and told me what a black hole was and had a solar system placemat at the table and I ate, slept, and dreamed galaxies for a few months because it was Your Thing. And from that obsession came an idea: what if I told a story about Indian mythology . . . in space?
So thank you, Jemmy. Thank you for this idea. Thank you for being brilliant and kind and funny. Thank you for reading this book and asking me if bedtime can be just a little later so you can read more of it. To quote you, I love you to the end of the universe and through Cygnus X-1 and around all the dwarf planets—and back.
I started writing A Spark of White Fire in October of 2014, so this has been a long, winding journey. And almost four years later, I know one thing beyond any doubt: it wouldn’t have been possible for me to write this book, or any book, if it hadn’t been for my husband, Steve. Thank you for giving me the time and space to work, for looking after the kids, for the beta reads, for the endless supply of cold drinks (and for always remembering the ice!). Most importantly, thank you for believing I’m awesome, even and especially when I don’t. (Pssst, I think you’re awesome too.)
To Eric Smith, agent, friend, and the ultimate cheerleader. Thank you for fighting for this book and for shouting from the rooftops about it. I know you’ll never forgive me for what I did to [Spoiler], but I want you to know I live for your anguish.
To Alison Weiss, who believed in me before this book even existed and played such a huge part in making it what it is today. You’re an extraordinary editor, a wonderful friend, and I can’t thank you enough for how hard you fought for and worked on Spark.
To Nicole Frail, who jumped on board the Spark train unexpectedly and has done such a fabulous job since. Thank you. I’ll always treasure your amazing reaction to reading this for the first time.
To Kate Gartner and Mélanie Delon, for the incredible cover art and design. To Johanna Dickson, Emily Wood, and the rest of the wonderful folk at Sky Pony for all the work you’ve put into making Esmae’s story shine.
Mum and Dad, thank you for the books, the history, and an awesome childhood. Thank you for the love you’ve given this book (that goes double for you, Dad). I also want to say a thank-you to Gramps, who is long gone but without whom my love for the Mahabharata wouldn’t be what it is. Thank you for the stories.
To Emma Pass, Natasha Ngan, Kendra Leighton, and Kristina Perez for all the incredibly helpful feedback you gave me on early drafts of this. To my sensitivity readers (you know who you are) for all your help and support. To Samira and Kati for all the laughs and love. To Team Rocks in all its waterfall glory. And an extra shoutout to Julia, Erica, Alan, Dave, Mike, Lizzie, and Anna for your notes (I owe the elevators to you, Alan!).
Social media can be a pretty difficult place to be sometimes, but I’ll always be grateful for the friends I’ve made in the writing community. It’s simply not true that authors are islands.
To all the wonderful readers who have loved and written to me about The Lost Girl over the years, to the readers who have want more brown girls in fantasy, to the readers who have been waiting—I’m so glad I can finally give you this book.
And finally, Henry and Juno. Like Jem, you both inspire me every single day. I love you more than you love Frozen.