Shield and Crocus (34 page)

Beige
– curiosity

Black
– guilt

Brass
– devotion

Burgundy
– tyranny/control

Coppery Red
– malice

Dull Green
– casual partnership

Emerald
– familial love

Evergreen
– romantic love

Flushed Pink
– lust

Gold
– comradeship

Grey
– frustration

Jade
– unrequited love

Light Pink
– embarrassment

Navy Blue
– sorrow

Orange
– greed

Purple
– authority/command

Red
– hatred

Silver
– adoration

Turquoise
– empathy

Yellow
– fear

White
– hope

Shield and Crocus
can be traced back directly to a conversation with my classmate Jon Christian Allison in the dining room at the Clarion West Writers workshop in 2007. That day, I’d read an awesomely gut-wrenching story of Jon’s, and I was inspired by his story to try my hand at a new weird short for the following week. That story (which fit into a short story about as well as an olympic-sized swimming pool fits into a shot glass) would go to become the first version of
Shield and Crocus
.

This novel has come a long way from that original short fiction piece, and it would not have been possible without the assistance and support of a metric ton of wonderful people. A shorter version of these acknowledgements would just to be to thank every person I talked with for any length of time between mid-2007 and today.
Shield
was the work that took me from aspirant to neo-pro, as I learned revision, submission protocol, and how to take rejection.

Lots of rejection.

But like the Shields, I took those setbacks and got back up to try again.

I wanted to start by thanking Jon Christian Allison for his story and that conversation, which set me on the path. I also want to thank the teachers, students, and staff members of the 2007 Clarion West Workshop, especially Graham Joyce, the resident instructor the week we workshopped “Shield & crocus.” at the end of the round of critiques for my story, Graham charged me with expanding the short piece into a novel.

This novel wouldn’t exist without the inspiration of the works of China Mieville, Jeff VanderMeer, KJ Bishop, and others who contributed to the new weird movement. To those who came before, I tip my hat, honored to be able to carry on the genre conversation that you all started.

Huge thanks are also due to Scat Hardcore, my first writing group, some of whom have probably read this novel five or more times across its different incarnations. Massive llamas of thanks to Marie Brennan, Siobhan Carroll, Alyc Helms, and Darja Malcolm-Clarke.

Big thanks to my Muse Brother Bryan Roberts, for help in banging out the plot for this and nearly all of my other novels.

Massive high-fives to the many, many friends who helped as beta- and proof-readers, helping me get earlier versions of the novel ready for submission. Daniel McDeavitt, Nicole Kaplan, Melissa Kocias, Élan Matlovsky, Rick Novy, Mary Rodgers, Tina Wallace, Kate Walton, and Adam Zabell.

Kari Stevenson and Meredith Levine, for their crucial support in the down times.

Gina Wachtel, the publishing fairy godmother who made it all possible.

A father-son high-five to my father, David Underwood, who opened the door.

Thanks again and again to Meg, for every single day.

A hearty w00t of thanks to my agent of awesomeness, Sara Megibow, for agreeing to take up the banner and give the novel one more shot at the Big Show.

The team at 47north have been amazing—passionate, professional, and responsive. David Pomerico, Alex Carr, Fleetwood Robbins, Justin Golenbock, Britt Rogers, and the others: you are awesome, and I’m honored to be on the list.

Lastly, and perhaps mostly, my boundless thanks to David Pomerico, my editor—who always believed in First Sentinel and the Shields—for providing the comments that would put me on the right path, and for coming back with the vision and passion to bring this book to readers everywhere.

Thanks to each one of you, the Shield-bearers who made this book happen.

Michael R. Underwood

Baltimore, Maryland

February 2014

Michael R. Underwood is the author of the Ree Reyes series (
Geekomancy
,
Celebromancy
,
Attack the Geek
[novella]), as well as the forthcoming Younger Gods series. By day, he’s the north american Sales & Marketing Manager for angry Robot Books. Mike grew up devouring stories in all forms, from comics to video games, tabletop RPGs, movies, and books. Always books.

Mike lives in Baltimore with his fiancé, an ever-growing library, and a super-team of dinosaur figurines and stuffed animals. In his rapidly-vanishing free time, he studies historical martial arts and makes pizzas from scratch.