The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett.pdf

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software

(DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your

personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any

way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal

devices.

infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy .

To Adam, Inara, and Tanner, for being my foundation, my purpose, and my heart

Acknowledgments

Dusty and Eli aren’t the only ones whose dreams come true. Mine did. You’re holding it in your hands

right now. But it’s one that never would’ve happened without the support of a lot of people.

Firstly, thanks to God and his Son from whom all good things come.

Thanks also to Suzie Townsend, my rock-star agent and the book’s first champion. I will be forever

grateful; your support and guidance have changed my life. To Sarah Goldberg for pulling me out of the

slush pile, and to the entire team of New Leaf Literary and Media—you all are the best.

To my wonderful editor, Whitney Ross. Thank you for first loving this book and then for making it

better. The experience has been magical. To Kate Forester for my beautiful cover art. Also thanks to the

entire team at Tor Teen for taking my little Pinocchio of a story and turning it into a real book—Lisa

Davis, my production editor; Seth Lerner, the art director; Jane Liddle, the copy editor; Sally Feller, my

publicist; and John Morrone, the proofreader. And, of course, to Tom Doherty and Kathleen Doherty for

giving my book and so many others such a fabulous home.

To my amazing critique partner, Lori M. Lee, who is not only a fine writer, but also the absolute best at

providing insightful feedback and infectious enthusiasm. You made the dark days bright. To Cat York for

making the world of my book come to life through her gorgeous art. And to my awesome beta readers:

Mallory Hayes, Leigh Menninger, Ashley Aynes, Katherine Hazen, and Jamie Stryker.

To Barb Ryan, my sixth-grade teacher, who opened my eyes to the possibility of writing my own

stories. And to Sharon Rab, my first creative-writing teacher, who showed me the beauty of language and

character.

To my parents, Betty and Phil Garybush, for your love and encouragement. Thank you, Mom, for

bestowing on me your love of reading and for teaching me to be strong and independent. To my dad, Jim

Gaver, for exposing me to the wonders of all things fantasy and sci-fi. To my brother-in-law, Jay Sharritt,

for your enthusiastic reads and awesome analytical feedback. And also the biggest of thanks to my sister,

Amanda Sharritt—you are my first reader, my ideal reader. I write them all for you, Sis.

To my children, Inara and Tanner, for giving my life purpose and filling it with laughter and joy like

I’ve never known before. And last, but never least, to my husband, Adam. Thank you for your constant

love and support and for always keeping my feet grounded. You are my rock.

And finally, to you, dear reader. You give stories life, and that makes you the only real magickind I

know.