by Tara Sim
Colton grinned. Danny leaned in until their smiles meshed. The thrill of time was gone from their touch, but another thrill remained, one just as strong. Thicker than blood.
He slipped his hand under Colton’s shirt, feeling his heart beat under his fingertips. It was a sensation Danny thought he’d never get enough of.
“This time I waited for you,” Danny whispered.
Colton touched his cheek, then the scar on his chin. “I know you did. You’ll never have to again.”
Danny knew that he would have to tell him soon, what he had done to make this possible. But not now, not this moment. It could wait.
They didn’t have all the time in the world. But they had time enough.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As I sit here thinking over the last several years, it is so remarkable to me how much this trilogy has been a part of my life. I first drafted Timekeeper in 2013—a very horrible, horrible draft—and now, almost exactly five years later, I’m putting the finishing touches on Firestarter.
I have had so many people help me these last five years. First and foremost, thank you to my fantastic editor Alison Weiss, without whom I would be a puddle of tears and anxiety on the floor. Alison, you saw the potential in this weird story about clocks and ghosts that, by all means, should not have made any sense, and yet you knew just how to encourage me to make it shine, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. We both know the real ending is Danny and Colton grabbing some Chipotle.
A big thanks to Laura Crockett and the folks at TriadaUS, who first took on this project and continue to help boost it to the world. Big thanks to Nicole Frail and Johanna Dickson for helping shuttle this book to publication, as well as everyone at Sky Pony who had a hand in its production. Thanks also to Sammy Yuen for that amazing cover.
Thank you to Victoria Marini for being so supportive and gung ho about everything. Please continue to hold my hand forever, even when it gets sweaty and gross.
Hearing my words come to life is super embarrassing but also super cool, so thanks are in order for Pamela Lorence at Forever Young Audiobooks, as well as Gary Furlong for being such an awesome and enthusiastic narrator.
Thank you to Sona Charaipotra for helping me with the Hindi. All mistakes are mine.
Being an author would mean nothing without the friends I’ve made on this journey so far, who get me through every single day and read my atrocious first drafts without cringing too much. To Emily Skrutskie: yelling at/to/with you is pretty much a daily ritual that I hope never ends. To Jessica Cluess: when we begin to sing the same song and/or say the exact same thing at the exact same time, I know we are drift compatible. To Traci Chee: you were one of the first author friends I ever made, and to this day I’m so thankful that you weren’t creepy (and didn’t find me creepy). (Thank you also to Cole Benton for having proficiency in bag carrying.)
A huge hug for the writing cult: Akshaya Raman, Katy Pool, Meg Kohlmann, Kat Cho (also known in some circles as Goxikeh), Amanda Foody, Christine Herman, Melody Simpson, Axie Oh, Clairbel Ortega, Amanda Haas, Mara Fitzgerald, Janella Angeles, Ashley Burdin, Ella Dyson, Joan He, and Alex Castellanos. You are all wonderful and talented and beautiful.
To TJ Ryan: your Timekeeper fan art brought us together, and I am so glad it did. You have been such an amazing friend and *strums guitar* I love you, bitch.
My publishing journey has resulted in a lot of new friends, but I’d be nowhere without some of my oldest. To Ellen Gavazza and Carrie Gratiot: you’ve known me since we were tiny things and yet you’re still somehow friends with me. Thank you for your friendship and understanding and alcohol. To my Hollins family: I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you, and you’re forever in my heart.
To the booksellers, book bloggers, and book reviewers: thank you for all that you do to spread the word about books!
To my readers: you have played such a huge part in my journey. Thank you for picking up copies of these books and reading them, loving them, reccing them, hand selling them, reviewing them, making fan art for them, and overall making me proud to have written them.
I would like to not thank my cats for distracting me and biting my notebooks, but I do thank them for being cute.
And last but certainly not least, huge thanks to my family, especially my parents. Without you, I doubt I would have gotten this far, and it is through your love and support that I find the strength to keep going. Mama, I remember the look of horror on your face when I told you I wanted to be an author when I grew up, and the memory is made even better by the look of pride I see on your face now. Father, in that same memory you weren’t surprised at all, because you always knew this would be my future. You’re as much a part of these books as I am.
