Fran Wilde: Updraft

I opened my mouth and sang back, notes without words, my rough harmonies weaving with the voice of the city. Together, we made a new song.

Books don’t happen out of thin air. In the case of this book, and all that come after, I’ve learned so much from many people.

My heartfelt thanks to my amazing editor, Miriam Weinberg, who brings sparkle and light to dark corners, always. Your insights have fractal-ninja powers. To my agents, Russ Galen and Rachel Kory, who believe in this book, this world, and in me, and their doing so set so many things in motion. To Patrick Nielsen Hayden, who gave the book its proper title, and to Teresa Nielsen Hayden, who encouraged me to find my people.

To the artists, production staff, publicity, and sales pros at Tor, especially Stephan Martiniere, Irene Gallo, Lauren Hougen, Heather Saunders, Ana Deboo, Patty Garcia, and Ardi Alspach, and the printers and binders.

To my mentors and teachers. To James D. Macdonald for believing in me when I didn’t. To Elizabeth Bear, Stephen Gould, Sherwood Smith, Scott Lynch, and the amazing staff, instructors, and students at Viable Paradise. To Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams and everyone at Taos Toolbox. To Gregory Frost, Michael Swanwick, and Jon McGoran for taking in a new transfer to the Philly scene. To poets Heather McHugh, Eleanor Wilner, Charles Wright, Rita Dove, and Larry Levis. To Puckie Thomas, who never let me slack at anything. To Hillary Jacobs and Julie Schwait.

To my colleagues and peers — my Bruisers, especially Kelly Lagor, Nicole Feldringer, Chris Gerwel, Lauren Teffeau, Sara Mueller, and former Bruisers Wayne Helge, Phoebe North, Douglas Beagley — to Alex Shvartsman, Sandra Wickham, Lou Berger, Oz Drummond, A. C. Wise, Siobhan Carroll, Sarah Pinsker, Jodi Meadows, Jaime Lee Moyer, Amanda Downum, Karen Burnham, Max Gladstone, Liz Bourke, Natalie Luhrs, Raq Winchester, B. Morris Allen, Jay Reynolds, E. Catherine Tobler, Stephanie Feldman, Lawrence M. Schoen, Chris Urie, and E. C. Myers. To the OWW, Codex, B.org, Novelocity, and GeekMom. To Alasdair Semple, who made me a game.

To the scientists and engineers who helped me better understand clouds, wind tunnels, bones, tower updrafts, wings, and foils, especially SkyVenture New Hampshire for the 250-mph experience, Nicole Feldringer, Jason Tuell, Kelly Lagor, and the Lake and Edinger family engineers. Your insights were invaluable. Any mistakes are my own.

To my family and friends-who-are-family, especially my mom, Judy; my sister, Susan; and brother-in-law, Chris; my cousins Beth, Jeff, and Kalliope; Craig and Karen; Geoff, Denise, and Garrett; the Edingers, Harneds, Sinnotts, and Wildes; the Winchesters; Melissa Maddonni Haims, Nanita Cranford, Jennifer Etheridge, Jeff Hugel, Claudia and Jack Etheridge, Wendy and Dan Magus, Nancy Caudill, Sara Costello, Karen and David Beaudouin, and the Henry family. To Charlotte Camp and Rebecca Beach. To the Ginsberg-Joyce family.

To you, reading this book right now.

And to a special place on the Chesapeake Bay near Worton, Maryland, where I first learned how to fly.

Fran Wilde’s acclaimed short stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Nature, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies . She has worked as a science and engineering writer, as a programmer and game developer, as a sailing assistant, and as a jeweler’s assistant. She blogs about food and genre at Cooking the Books (franwilde.wordpress.com/cooking-the-books) and for the popular social-parenting website GeekMom . Wilde lives in Pennsylvania with her family. You can sign up for email updates here.