Playing Tyler (30 page)

Do I miss B? Every day. Some days it hurts so bad, with the guilt, with thoughts of him alone in that house, that I can barely function. But other days are OK. Days when I try to cook something for dinner that doesn't taste like ass or when Ani and I just go for a run that lasts forever or days when we just sit by the pool in the sun are good. Really good. B is still there, still with me, in my head and in his favorite movie lines or whatever.

But finally, for the first time I can remember, my life is moving forward. I jump as Ani slams the door behind her. Is she back from class already? Throwing down her bag, she comes over to sit next to me on the couch. She leans her head back, sighs. “Ready to get schooled at
Skyreach
?”

I grab two controllers. She's dreaming. I own that game. “Hell yeah.”

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

There is no way I am going to be able to list by name all the people I have to thank for their help in the journey of bringing this book to print, but I will try my best. My first shout-out is to my readers, without you guys, there would be no book.

 

Thank you to Joe, who talked me out of writing a choose-your-own-way book about shape-shifting zombie supermodels and insisted that I write this book instead. He is the best husband I could have asked for, the one who's willing to help me litter the dining room table with notecards full of “turning points” and “exciting incidents” and doesn't mind spending thirty hours in the car with me playing the “what-is-TL-going-to-write-next” game. Love you.

 

To my kids, who give me purpose.

 

To the incredible Kristan Higgins. Not only is she a New York Times/USA Today bestselling author, she is funny, kind, and generous. She's helped me navigate the sometimes scary, always exciting world of publishing, and I can't thank her enough.

 

To Joanne. A friend like her is a treasure beyond all imagining. The world's best beta-reader. She is the first person I call about everything, my second pair of eyes and ears, who is not afraid to tell me what's what. My life and my writing never would have gotten to where it is without her.

 

To my incredible agent, Jenny Bent, for believing in me and my work, and for giving this journey her all. And to the whole Bent Agency, especially Molly, the best agency team around.

 

To the Strange Chemistry crew, especially my amazing editor Amanda, for taking a chance. And to the rest of the Chemistry Set, particularly Ann, Sean, Bryony and Christian, for being such a supportive bunch.

 

People say that things like this take a village, in my case, it feels more like a tri-state area. My sister Holly, friends Christina, Liz, and Nicole, I love you and couldn't have done much of anything without all these years of love and support.

 

My amazing and loving family, who helped talk me off ledges and held me up when I was down… or as was the case after my parents' death, didn't have money for food or anyplace to live. I know I was young, but I am thankful for you all every day. Thank you for sacrificing so much to step up. Especially Grandma G., Cindy, Robert and William Badrigian, Grandma F., Uncle George and Aunt Carol and Douglas, Scott and George and their families, the Spencers and everyone else in the family.

 

To CTRWA, the best writers group ever. Thank you for never talking down to me when I was a new writer with nothing more than a laptop and a dream. Thank you for giving my practice pitch an F (and helping me turn it into
the
pitch) and thank you for being there every step of the process. Especially to Peter Andrews and his wonderful How to Write Fast tips, which have become words I live by, and for being a great friend. There are so many of you to thank that this section will be over fifteen pages if I list out everyone's name, but you are all loved and appreciated.

 

To my Texans, especially to Eddie Prislac and his mad web-designing skills. To my crew from Spring, especially my teachers, thank you. And my CT friends and cheerleaders, especially Sarah D., the Taylor clan, the Girard-Menchettis, and Mr. Hagan and everyone at the Y, Master Gary's kickboxing and Good Shepherd Church. And thanks to God.

 

To my friends from BMC, especially Kim and Amanda and Ginger and Heather and Lauren and Em and well, everyone. Being around brilliant women is good for the soul.

 

STRANGE CHEMISTRY

 

An Angry Robot imprint

and a member of the Osprey Group

 

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www.strangechemistrybooks.com
 

Strange Chemistry #12

 

A Strange Chemistry paperback original 2013

 

Copyright © T L Costa 2013

 

Cover art by Argh! Oxford

 

Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Angry Robot is a registered trademark, and the Angry Robot icon a

trademark of Angry Robot Ltd.

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are

the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any

resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or

dead, is entirely coincidental.

 

Sales of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book

is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as “unsold and

destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received

payment for it.

 

US ISBN: 978 1 90884 461 3

Ebook ISBN: 978 1 90884 462 0

UK ISBN: 978 1 90884 460 6