She dropped her crossbow while trying to avoid the ovine missile, but went down under two hundred pounds of meat and wool. I barely got my head turned around fast enough to dive to the right. Halfway across the clearing, the troll spun around, launching the sheep at us. I glanced back at her, letting a grin grow on my face. “Be careful, Sarah,” Katie called to me in a hoarse whisper. The trainers sucked in this rough terrain. Not for the first time this winter, I swore over the loss of my Doc Martens. Even with the sheep slung over her shoulder and one of Katie’s crossbow bolts in her right thigh, the she-troll had stayed ahead of us, weaving in and out of the trees, climbing for the last mile or more. Here the snow was deep enough to see the paths the troll had made and to see where she was heading. I kept K atie back and to the right of me as we followed the she-troll into the clearing. You create magic.Īnd finally, thank you to the fans, bloggers, critics, and book reviewers who help spread the word of Sarah and her adventures. To Dan Dos Santos, thanks for another astounding cover, and for making folks stop and look at my book. To my most excellent agent, Cameron McClure, who has a keen eye for story, good solid advice, and a sharp wit, thanks for all the help. You make the publishing aspect of this journey a joy. My editors, Claire Eddy and Kristin Sevick, are wonderful people who deserve accolades beyond this silly little acknowledgment. Thank you for the midnight sanity checks, the convention decompression, and the moments of exhausted camaraderie. You friends who are on the same journey as I are all a wealth of love and support. I would be remiss if I did not mention the writing family I have been lucky enough to join. From the occasional gaming session, movies, e-mail, lunches, and even phone calls-each of you makes my life richer.

You are all wonderful people who help me get through my days. My support network stretches out to a huge array of friends.

There are a lot of folks who have helped me along the way.įirst I’d like to acknowledge my family for all their support and the occasional boot in the rear that it took to make this the novel that it is.

It’s definitely been a steep learning curve, this professional writing gig. Forged in Fire is the latest installment in the Sarah Beauhall series.

Forged in Fire by J.A. Pitts