Acknowledgments - The Dragon's Muse

Thank you so much for reading The Dragon's Muse and being patient with Shinsu and Nori as they found their happy ending. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a rating or review so other readers can discover their story too.

This was one of my most challenging books to write, not only because it dealt with heavier themes, but also due to the current state of the world and its effect on my mental health. The more I wrote, the more I realized how much I need my own community, and this echoed into Nori's story too. This book became my love letter to those in my life who lift me up and give me a safe space to simply be myself.

So often when we're adults we think we need to have it all figured out, but many of us are still struggling through our lives with a little bit (or a lot) of baggage. It was important to me that Nori found a group of friends and a job she loved as well as finding a partner who understands and supports her. And for everyone who’s been championing Shinsu from when Beck was introduced in book 1, thank you for sticking around and giving my awkward dragon so much love.

I really wanted to feature a dragon based on Korean mythology and I was so excited when Beck's character popped into my head for this first time. My husband helped me brainstorm names that suited our water dragon and translated well into English too—if you haven't noticed from my books, I'm pretty obsessed with the meaning of names. And so, Shinsu's lore started. I loved adding a few subtle nods to Korean culture and the language along the way as another little love note to the country I call home.

This story would never have found its happy ending without the help of a few people very dear to me.

Adrienne, you had to read through almost triple the book with all the rewrites I did. Thank you for being patient with me and steering me in the right direction when I needed it.

Lanae, thank you for all the voice notes, the reactions, the advice, plus helping me design Shinsu’s very unique peen.

Impyeu, once again you blew me away. The blue-and-orange sunset will forever be one of my favorite covers you’ve done.

Lindsey, Colette, Laura, Meg, Monika, Elle, and McKayla—thank you for always being in my DMs and holding my hand when I need it most.

My street team, aka the Starry Hill Smut Club, I love you and appreciate you. Thank you for helping me share my stories with the world.

But most importantly, thank you, dear reader, for choosing one of my books. Your support means the world to me.

—Elle