You are amazing. There’s no way I could embark on this journey without you. You’ve supported me at every turn, you pick up the slack at home with no complaint, and you keep me laughing. I love you.
To my kids, Paige, Nat, and Jane. Thanks for putting up with cheese and crackers for dinner and being patient with my deadlines. You guys are amazing. Someday you’ll get to read my books. I promise.
To my agent, Nicole Resciniti. You are beyond wonderful. You cheer me on, put up with my stress, and believe in me like no other. You’re so talented at what you do and have such a great heart. Thank you for all you do.
To Amanda Bonilla for keeping me sane all the time and without question. You are such a bright light on this journey and I’m so very thankful to have you in my life.
To my awesome early readers, as always, DeLane Corbin and Kathy Faircloth, for all your cheerleading, e-mails, notes, tweets, and support. I love you guys!
To my author pals at Magic & Mayhem, Shawntelle Madison, Sandy Williams, and Nadia Lee for including me in the fold. So happy to have joined the ranks.
To Cindi, for always being there. Without your awesomeness, the world would be a bleak place. To Mira Lyn Kelly and Carolyn Crane for being my Minnesota rocks. Every time we get together and talk writing, I’m happy.
To Molly Winkels, for your unfaltering enthusiasm and support. I have the best family in the world.
To my agency mates Jules, Amanda, Lea, Melissa, Jen, Marianne, Marisa, Cecy, and everyone else at the Seymour Agency, for all their awesome shoulders, advice, help, and laughter. You guys rock.
To my editor, Devi, and the entire crew at Orbit—Tim, Anna, Susan, Lauren, Laura, Alex, and Ellen—for being so wonderful. I’m excited to write every day because of all of you. Thanks for making my dreams come true. To my awesome copy editor, Penina Lopez, for correcting my all my “further”s and “farther”s and for help in making this manuscript the best it can be.
To all my new fans! It’s been such a fun journey so far. I hope you enjoyed the book. To all the reviewers who have supported me. I’m blown away. Thank you for your willingness to spread the word and for giving an honest review.
And to my parents, to whom this book is dedicated. Your enthusiasm for my writing knows no bounds. You give your love freely and often. I’m beyond lucky to have you.
extras
meet the author
Paige Carlson
A Minnesota girl born and bred, AMANDA CARLSON graduated from the University of Minnesota with a double major in speech and hearing science and child development. After enjoying her time as a sign language interpreter, she decided to stay at home and write in earnest once her second child was born. She loves playing Scrabble, visiting tropical beaches, and shopping trips to IKEA. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three kids.
To find out more about the author, visit www.amandacarlson.com or find her on Twitter @AmandaCCarlson.
introducing
If you enjoyed
HOT BLOODED,
look out for
RED-HEADED STEPCHILD
by Jaye Wells
Sabina Kane is half-mage, half-vampire and all attitude. Despite her red-headed stepchild status in the vampire community, she remains loyal to the vampire leaders who raised her to be an assassin.
When a routine mission uncovers startling secrets that could destroy the uneasy truce between vampires and mages, Sabina must find a way to prevent an all-out war. Helping Sabina navigate this treacherous world are a high-maintenance hairless cat demon, a prognosticating nymph who used to work in faery porn, and a mysterious mage with an agenda…
Digging graves is hell on a manicure, but I was taught good vampires clean up after every meal. So I ignored the chipped onyx polish. I ignored the dirt caked under my nails. I ignored my palms, rubbed raw and blistering. And when a snapping twig announced David’s arrival, I ignored him too.
He said nothing, just stood off behind a thicket of trees waiting for me to acknowledge him. Despite his silence, I could feel hot waves of disapproval flying in my direction.
At last, the final scoop of earth fell onto the grave. Stalling, I leaned on the shovel handle and restored order to my hair. Next I brushed flecks of dirt from my cashmere sweater. Not the first choice of digging attire for some, but I always believed manual labor was no excuse for sloppiness. Besides, the sweater was black, so it went well with the haphazard funerary