Mari Mancusi - Scorched

The boys looked at one another and smiled, as if sharing a secret joke.

“Now we raise a dragon,” Connor replied.

“And,” Caleb added, “make sure she doesn’t destroy the world.”

To my editor Leah Hultenschmidt, who shouted, “I want this book!” after only a one-sentence pitch, then helped me shape it into what it is today. Brainstorming sessions have never been so much fun! And to the entire Sourcebooks team—your enthusiasm and support is invaluable to me and I’m thrilled to be part of the family.

To my agent Kristin Nelson, for reading many, many early versions of this book until we found one that worked. And for understanding why this story was so important to me and needed to be told.

To my husband Jacob, for all the tireless conversations and charts on time-travel paradoxes. Not to mention all the delicious dinners on deadline and all-encompassing support. Seriously—best husband ever.

To Diana Peterfreund—author, friend, and beta reader—who insisted a dragon book can never have too many dragons. And to blogger Donna @ Bites—the toughest beta reader you will ever love and my sister in Lost Boys fandom. And to my Werearmadillo writing group—for all their encouragement and support when things got tough. Not to mention my Austin SCBWI and RWA friends who make Texas a great place to live.

And, lastly, to author Robin McKinley, who introduced me to the awesomeness of dragons when I was young with her amazing book, The Hero and the Crown . As writers, we don’t always know who we have touched with our words. So I tell you now, I would not be who I am today without your stories.

Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately, the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small—so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys. When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys goth clubbing, cosplay, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure—playing video games. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their dog Mesquite.