Tarnished (23 page)
Authors: Kate Jarvik Birch
Tags: #dystopian, #young adult romance, #genetic engineering, #chemical garden, #delirium, #hunger games, #divergent
Acknowledgments
If coffee were a sentient being it would be the first on my list of thanks, but since I’ve yet to meet a cup that could carry on a conversation, I’ll have to make do by thanking all the cheerful baristas at Sugarhouse Coffee for keeping me fully equipped with soy vanilla lattes and cinnamon rolls.
Thank you to Dan Beecher, the most wonderful writing partner a girl could ask for. For always making me laugh, for making me feel energized instead of overwhelmed, for brainstorming with me on sunny days, and rainy days, and windy days, THANK YOU. Your brain is my favorite resource.
Thank you to my agent, Kerry Sparks, for your continued support and dedication.
To all the people at Entangled: Kari Olson, Meredith Johnson, Jessica Turner, and Melissa Montovani, thank you for helping to make this book a reality. To Kelley York, thank you for making the most hauntingly beautiful red dress I’ve ever seen. And, of course, the fabulous Liz Pelletier for giving me a home at Entangled!
To Heather Howland, editor extraordinaire, thank you for your vision, your patience, your friendship, and your insight. Thank you for loving this story even more than I do. Your enthusiasm and confidence are only outmatched by your amazing and brilliant brain.
Thank you to my mom for allowing me to create, even when it got messy. Thank you for pencils and crayons and clay. Thank you for giving me a love for words and for letting me believe that anything is possible.
Most of all, thank you to my family. Thank you to Morgan, Noah, and Rebecca for making me laugh until water comes out my nose, for learning how to do your own laundry, for loving all of my quirks (you love them right?), and for being three of the best dreams I’ve ever followed. And finally, thank you to my Bry Guy. You are where it begins and ends. Thank you for rubbing my feet, for feeding me, and for making sure things don’t fall apart. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for seeing beauty and strength and brilliance inside of me. Thank you for being home.
About the Author
Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and three kids.
To learn more visit Kate at
Exclusive! Listen to a song from the Tarnished soundtrack...
“Take You Away”
Song and Lyrics by Aaron Sherman
© 2015 Entangled Music Publishing LLC
I will wait
For you to come round
And I will stay
Tied to this ground
Cause you won’t wait
For my heart on your sleeve
Cause you won’t wait
For anything
Staring at you
With my eyes wide and closed
Breathing down
Your shoulder bones
Now the ground is quaking
From the neighbors shaking
Their pitchforks against the gate
But I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Oh no
Accused of a crime
That was never there
I fell in love
And I didn’t care
Now the world is looking
Just steps from killing
This monster
That lives in my bed
But I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Take you away
Oh no
I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Take you away
So please, please
Stay asleep
Lock the doors
And cover your feet
Cause I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Take you away
Oh no
I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Take you away
Oh no
I won’t let them
I won’t let them
Take you away
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