To all of my other early readers: Jill, Ruby, Debbi, Rachel, Reina, and Tara. Thanks for your willingness to see this book in its early, messy glory and believe in me enough to know it could be better. You each caught things that I would have never even thought of and together you are an unstoppable force of beta-awesomeness.

My colleagues and my students and parents of students: thank you! When people ask me how I marketed my books and how I found success, I have said, “Really, if you can get one of the biggest schools in Portland to have your back, that would be really helpful.” Your love for these books has carried them forward into the world. Your fandom, despite knowing me in other capacities (tardy meeting attendee, writer of referrals, copy machine hog), is the lifeline to which I cling.

Last, but not least: thank you readers. If you’re reading this far, then that means you decided to take the plunge and journey with me to the very end. Thank you for being you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving my characters. Thank you for taking a chance on an unknown. Thank you for your kind reviews (and your honest reviews that have helped me examine my own writing to make it better: you are right random Goodreads reviewer, I do have a wayward hyphen problem and I’m working really hard to correct it) and your emails and your words of appreciation. You never know when someone needs to hear them the most and your timing is always impeccable. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To everyone I forgot: I love you, too. But the snow days and being trapped in my house are getting to my head. It’s the snow and ice and not a lack of gratitude. I promise.

About the Author

Shelbi Wescott is a high school Language Arts and Creative Writing teacher, a television junky, and a board game connoisseur. The Variables is the third and final book in the Virulent Trilogy. Other books in the series: Virulent: The Release and The System.

When she isn't writing, Shelbi can be found wandering the aisles of Powell's Books, throwing elaborate birthday parties, and officiating weddings. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband (a newspaper editor), her two sons, Elliott and Ike, and their newly adopted dog, Darby.

Visit her at www.shelbiwescott.com or follow her at www.facebook.com/ShelbiWescott