Six Must Die, page 27
But I’m not the monster. I know that now. And I don’t intend to let myself forget it.
While writers are known for being hyperbolic, it is without a trace of exaggeration when I say that writing this book is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. I weathered a lot while writing it—a campus shooting, my parents’ divorce, the difficulties of a newly diagnosed autoimmune disorder—and as a result, there were times when I doubted that I’d ever complete a draft. So to everyone I’m about to thank: When I say this book would not exist without you, I mean it.
To the village who helped me turn this book from a jumbled six-POV tangle of unresolved plot threads into a focused yet twisty narrative: Jessica Errera, my stellar literary agent and forever champion; Alexandra Hightower, my fantastic editor and constant cheerleader; Crystal Castro, my wonderful assistant editor; Brandy Colbert, my genius copy editor; Dan Letchworth, my brilliant proofreader; Lindsay Walter-Greaney and Rachael Herbert, my eagle-eyed production editors—thank you for your energy and insight. Special thanks to Gabrielle Chang and Sammy Yeun for creating a beautifully neon (pink!) cover, and also to the rest of the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers team: Janelle DeLuise, Andie Divelbiss, Amanda Gaglione, Stef Hoffman, Savannah Kennelly, Hannah Klein, Christie Michel, Martina Rethman, and Victoria Stapleton. Without you all, this idea would probably still be languishing in my Notes app.
Thank you also to Allison Hufford, Jack McIntyre, Madeleine McGrath, Julianne Tinari, Sonnie Dean, and the rest of the lovely people at Jane Rotrosen Agency. I am still indebted to you all. And to Becca Rodriguez at Subtext Literary for partnering with me (again!) to try bringing this book to the screen.
To Lois Duncan, for writing the novel that galvanized mine. To Leigh Whannell and James Wan, for creating a movie franchise that gave me the courage to write a locked-room thriller. To Takao Kato and SCRAP Entertainment Inc., for bringing the escape game concept to Kyoto in July 2007 and subsequently changing my life. To every escape room I’ve ever done, with a special shout-out to the Breakout Games location in Asheville, North Carolina. (Y’all rock and are nothing like the company in this book.) And to every early reader, for providing blurbs and hype of which I could only dream. Thank you for your time and appreciation. You all make this my dream job.
To the Big Five group chat—Ann Zhao, Sydney Langford, Layla Noor, and Famke Thy-Halma Webb—for offering me advice, compassion, and unconditional support at a time in my life when I needed it most. If we were ever trapped in a deadly escape room together, I have to believe we would all make it out alive. To CL Montblanc and Ann Zhao (again!), for being kind enough to read an early draft of this book and not telling me to give up on writing forever. And to all my ex-friends, for inspiring different pieces of this story at different points in my life. I hope you’ve been able to move on. It gets better once you do.
To my small but mighty tribe at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself: Maddox Addy, Ash Chen, Sarah Grace Elliot, Madison Gagnon, Lizzie McLeod Herring, Luna Hou, Rio Janisch, Luisa Peñaflor, Susanna Skaggs, Maia Sheets, Hamsini Shivkumar, Zoe Wynns, and Audrey Zhou. Your support is so appreciated. And special thanks to Jaylen Roope, for patiently answering my never-ending questions about chess; to Riley and Peyton Wojcik, for kindly providing me with much-needed insight into what it’s truly like to be an identical twin; to Blake Roller, for his East Tennessee expertise; and to Julianna Welch (who went to North Carolina State but deserves to be in this list regardless), for her time regarding her experience as an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. And thank you also to Professor Ross White, Professor Adam Price, Professor Angela Velez, and Professor Daniel Wallace for nurturing my creative writing skills, always being willing to talk, and providing mentorship and camaraderie. The university is lucky to have you.
To my online writing groups, including WMC, and the people within them. If a mediocre white man can do it, why can’t we?
To my family: Mom and Dad, thank you for your love and care. Natalia and Karolina, you two are still my favorite sisters. A děkuji zase také mé rodině v Čechách: Elišce, Valtrovi, Ivetě, Tomášovi, Ivetce, Nikolce, Heleně, Vladkovi, Radkovi, Dáši, Silvince, Tomovi, Danečkovi a Tomáškovi. Ja vás mám velmi ráda pořád.
To Amias: It wouldn’t be a VW novel if you weren’t thanked in the acknowledgments. From workshopping the plot with me in your camper until three AM to always making me feel seen creatively, I am so grateful for your continued love, friendship, and support.
To Elijah, always, for everything (but especially for taking me to my first escape room). Despite everything, it’s still you.
And lastly, thank you for picking up this book. Whether this is your first time holding a thriller I’ve written or you’re a returning reader, my gratitude runs so deep. I’m so glad you chose to stick it out with me for another novel. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
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Photo Credit: Pavel Wlosok
VICTORIA WLOSOK is the author of the young adult thrillers How to Find a Missing Girl and Six Must Die. A recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in English and Business Administration, she now spends her time researching methods of murder for future books, attempting to break out of escape rooms, and teaching language arts in the mountains of the Czech Republic. She invites you to follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and X @xvictoriawrites, or visit her website at victoriawlosok.com.
Victoria Wlosok, Six Must Die
