Acknowledgements - Fallen's First

For encouraging my endless love of reading and never saying “no” to me picking up a new book, thank you, Dad. I love you.

For fueling my love of fantasy and letting me watch him play endless Final Fantasy, then running my first Dungeons and Dragons games to teach me how to tell stories in the most dramatic and heart-wrenching way possible, thank you, and I love you, to my dear big brother, Justin.

Saer was born in the early days of the internet amidst the small community of Rhy’Din (if you know, you know), and his story fleshed out at the hands of Nialla-MUN. I don’t know where you are today, but Becca, thank you for teaching me who Saer was, and for sparking the idea of who he was meant to become.

To my wonderful husband Chris—and to Norm who suffered by proxy—thank you for doing the laundry, dinners, and dishes while I worked through my developmental edits. You two have witnessed almost every step of this crazy journey. I don’t think you realize how much your support meant when I cried at the dinner table and you collectively said, “we can’t write the book, but we can do everything else.”

Dear Freya, Saer’s story would have continued to sit on the shelf if you hadn’t shared your own author journey and reinstated that burning fire in me to hear my characters speak once more. The voices are indeed back, and it is profoundly excellent.

My first foray into the public writing circle started with Saiki, whose unhinged comments and glorious spirit still makes me smile to this day. Thank you for creating and indoctrinating me into the Triple Round Robin Reading Group, and to the ladies there who took part in Saer’s early story—I’m sorry you read the worst version. Thank you for your help!

Other betas took Saer under their wing and brought him more depth. Angela, Frances, Annelise, and Jeff, thank you for believing in this story.

A special callout is deserved for Dee. You don’t give yourself enough credit as my very first editor, the one who taught me all the basics to elevate my prose. You stuck with me through every may versus might, every adverbial phrase, and every to-be verb that didn’t need to be there. I’ll never be able to repay all the knowledge you’ve instilled in me, and I can only hope to make you proud with how I present my book babies.

The writing community is astoundingly large, to a point where I feared never finding “my people.” Yet, with an unassuming social media post calling for “unedited, the last line you wrote, no cheating,” a bond was formed over Hades, then demons, angels, and fingerling potatoes. My dearest Caitlin, whose credits include so much more than “cover designer,” (mother, sister, daughter, hype-woman, beta-reader, author, artist, painter, photographer, Pinterest-level pastry decorator, entrepreneur, visionary) you are a glowing example of an extraordinary human being. Thank the Hells that Hades opened the door for us, I’m so lucky I found you, and I love you so much.

For those special ladies, my Elementals, Courtney, Erica, and Christine, look! We’re all published in the same timeline at last! I love you all, I’m grateful beyond words that we’ve had each other to navigate this crazy small press world together from inception to now. Where would I be without all of you? No where near where I am now.

To the other astounding women amongst the Ba Sing Se/In the Name of Friendship/In the Name of Smut, the SECRET BEAK CLUB POLYCULE, and the 2025 Small Press Debut chats, I’ve never known sisterhood like this. Mirai, Brittany, Aspen, Berkeley, and too many more to name (please forgive me), you make me laugh every day while also holding me accountable and making me better at writing, and honestly at life.

To Shadow Spark Publishing, thank you for taking a chance on a story about demons when the industry convinced me no one wanted them. Az, you create such beautiful things with hardly a thought, and I’m endlessly impressed by your talent and dedication to art and formatting. Thank you for bringing my book babies to life, and making my book look like a book! My editors, Susan (who made me do Hells math) and Kaitlin (who knows how hyphens work when I do not), your feedback helped me polish this manuscript in a way I’d given up hopes of achieving.

Finally, dear reader, I’m overflowing with gratitude, can’t believe the time has finally come to hold this damned book, and I do hope you’ll come with me and Saer (this poor bastard) for the rest of the ride.