There are a few reasons why my acknowledgements and author’s note aren’t printed in the back of Briardark. 

For one, by the time I was ready to upload the book files for printing, I hadn’t yet written them. I knew I had a lot to say and a lot of people to thank, but I needed more time. I also knew that both my acknowledgements and my author’s note would continue to change and grow, because Briardark isn’t finished. Yes, that means more books. But it also means more snippets, more side quests, and an expanded world larger than I’ve figured out at this point. 

All of this makes me terribly excited. 

When Amazon announced Kindle Vella, it’s new serial fiction feature, I thought, what the hell. My agent couldn’t sell the book I had just finished, and publishing was at a stand-still due to Covid-19. I wasn’t working on anything else, even though I had dozens of ideas simmering away in my head. 

I can’t remember exactly when the switch flipped. But I do know that the epiphany was birthed by some strange kind of creative magic. I didn’t have dozens of ideas simmering away in my head. I had one. Every idea was simply a thread of one story. 

There was the idea about the researchers who would become Siena and Emmett, their relationship on the rocks, trapped in a wilderness cabin with a cryptid on the loose. 

There was the LitRPG satire I was toying with, from which Avery and Holden were born. 

There was Cameron, a character that had slipped into story idea after story idea, slowly evolving to become the wry, guarded woman I now deeply love. 

There was a YA story about a girl in a mysterious village who gets chosen as a harvest god sacrifice. And another story about hikers getting trapped in a forest that grows faster than they can escape it. 

I had no idea how it all pieced together. I just knew that it did. So I sat down and began to write. 

I published Briardark episode by episode on Kindle Vella. I wrote into the dark, knowing nothing other than some very basic plot points. What ended up pouring out of me feels like something bigger than my own abilities as a writer. I wanted to share it and I wanted it to be an epic. And I didn’t want it dying on the desk of some editor. 

So here we are. 

Briardark is for Christine Autrand Mitchell, who told me she felt my soul in every chapter I gave her, and for Sara Wolf, who said that it is the most Sarah Harian thing I’ve ever written. 

For Kit, Naomi, and Mae, my first organic readers and cheerleaders. And for Leah and Jess, who both seem to still like me and my writing after a couple decades. 

For Ember Casey, who kindly and patiently answered all of my indie publishing questions. And also Kristin, Rachael, Kate, Kate, Kaitlin, Lisa, and Deb, and the years of shared misery, laughter, wins, commentary, and boozy zooms. 

For my sister, Carli, who buys copies of all of my books for everyone she knows. Literally. 

For my life partner of fifteen years, Jesse, who has never stopped believing in me.

For Kathleen Rushall, who encouraged me to follow my dreams.

For my family, who raised me in a safe and creative environment. 

For my team: Ivan Cakamura Cakic, who designed Briardark’s gorgeous cover, Nia Quinn, the best copy editor I’ve ever had, and Brenda Scott Wlazlo and her incredible audio performance. 

There are more, and I’ll continue to add them as the story and world of the Briardark grows. 

I said this once on an Instagram post, but Briardark is a love letter to both my greatest fascinations and myself. Thank you so much for joining me on this ride, wherever it goes.