Some things, the best things, do last forever.

FIRST THANKS, AS ALWAYS, TO NOAH (GOD OF doing things just because they are good for him), who is everything I know about love. Elena and Jonah (goddess and god of asking for snacks and being really adorable), thank you for being proud of what I do and usually helping me have enough time to do it.

This book would not have happened without Michelle Wolfson (goddess of delivering amazing news and gently shoving her clients in the right directions). It was her constant encouragement that gave me the guts to attempt this book again and again and again, even when I was ready to give up.

As always, huge thanks to my editor, Erica Sussman (goddess of obscenely cute dogs and much-appreciated exclamation marks). She never fails to take what I have actually written and show me how to turn it into what I wanted to have written.

Endless gratitude to Tyler Infinger (goddess of letting me name characters I like after her) for assisting editorially and always being awesome, Christina Colangelo (goddess of fake karaoke) for being funny and delightful and super good at her job, Casey McIntyre (goddess of answering my stupid emails in a professional and friendly manner) for being a phenomenal publicist, Jessica Berg (goddess of fixing other people’s mistakes) for being my stalwart copy editor, Kathryn Hinds (glorious goddess of abhorring alliteration) for helping my sentences make sense, Alison Donalty and Michelle Taormina (goddesses of creating beauty where nothing existed before) for continuing their streak of cover-art brilliance, and everyone else on the HarperTeen team (goddesses and gods of paper and words) for taking the art of making and selling books to such great heights.

Natalie Whipple (goddess of maintaining friends’ sanity through daily chats), who always believed in Isadora and read every attempt at every draft of this book: you are amazing. Jon Skovron (god of indie bands you’ve never heard of but wish you were cool enough to know about) gave me excellent editorial advice when I was desperate for guidance before sending Isadora out into the world. Stephanie Perkins (goddess of baby sloths and adorability), who doesn’t read every word I write, but helps me write all of them regardless.

Special thanks to Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin, whose beautiful book Ancient Egypt was the foundation for my renewed interest in Egyptology as an adult.

Most especially, I am grateful to my parents, Pat and Cindy White. I wanted to write a book about that strange and terrifying space when you realize your parents aren’t perfect. I’m so glad mine are imperfect in such perfect ways, and that they allowed their children to grow up as imperfect but perfectly loved people.

And finally, always, thanks to my readers: gods and goddesses of awesomeness and extremely good taste in fiction.