Chapter
Acknowledgments
Every book is a team effort, to some extent, but this one was the biggest haul so far. I owe a thank you to Sam at Wise Cat Editing, who gave great feedback on a much earlier draft; to my alpha and beta readers, both long-standing and new (particularly those who read more than one draft—thank you for being willing to dig through this story a second time); to my sensitivity readers; and to the variety of exceptional artists who helped bring this story to life through the map, title page, cover, and character illustrations.
I also owe a great big thanks to my gardening husband and the delicious meals he makes. He provided me with feedback on what it feels like to stand at a counter for an hour shelling beans. He also has referred to this book as "the pirate book" for at least two years because I made the mistake of answering "I guess, yes, technically," when I told him there were boats and he asked if there were pirates too.
And thank you , dear reader, for your time. I hope you enjoyed The Pirate Book.