I feel very fortunate that Mother Nature bestowed me a gift, the inspiration for Swordbird, when I was a child of ten romping in the deep forests on the hills of Hamilton, New York. With that in mind, along with my deep love for birds and my heart’s wish for peace, I sat down in front of the computer and began writing my first novel.
There are many people who helped breathe Swordbird into life.
First, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Phoebe Yeh, editorial director of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for spending time on Swordbird beyond work hours, magically and painstakingly transforming Swordbird into a much better book than its first draft; Ms. Kate Jackson, senior vice president of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for taking time to read Swordbird and giving me encouragement; Ms. Jane Friedman, president of HarperCollins, for bringing me-a twelve-year-old writer-a ray of hope; Ms. Whitney Manger, editor; Ms. Amy Ryan, art supervisor; Mr. Mark Zug, illustrator; and the rest of the wonderful team at HarperCollins for making Swordbird possible.
I also owe many thanks to Mrs. Melissa Barnello, my fantastic fifth-grade teacher; Ms. Judy Wood, my teacher in the Gifted and Talented program; Mr. Barry Guinn, a very kind principal; Ms. Patricia Brigati and the rest of my caring church friends; Ms. Betty Barr, MBE; and Ms. Victoria Theisen, my terrific sidekick. All of them read my first draft of Swordbird in whole or in part, and their suggestions and support encouraged me to go further.
Special thanks must be said to Ms. Diane Goodwin, my ESL teacher when I first came to the United States, who lit the spark of literature in my heart; Mr. Timothy Simmons, my third-grade teacher, and Mr. Ben Farstad, my reading-group teacher, for encouraging me to write; Mr. and Mrs. Cleo and Char Kelly, my neighbors and friends, who lent me many classic and award-winning books.
I must thank my parents for their encouragement all the way. And my pet birds, Captain Crackleclaw, Kibbles, and Plap, who cheered me on with their delightful songs.
Without those mentioned, Swordbird could never appear on earth!