ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks go out once again to Richard Marsh of Dublin: storyteller, author, scholar and “legendary tour guide.” Over the past few years Richard has generously shared with me research sources, variant versions of legends, theories of the Irish “otherworld” (or worlds?), the pronunciation of Irish names and so much more. Any errors—in pronunciation, geography or mythology—are, of course, mine alone.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the unnamed and unknown people who kept the stories of the ancient Celts alive through many centuries, and to Lady Augusta Gregory, who first pulled them into some kind of logical order and translated them into English, so that those of us who are not Irish scholars can enjoy them.

Last but not least, a special thanks to all the students who attended my workshop during the 2008 White Pine Awards and helped brainstorm solutions to some tricky problems I had encountered with my work-in-progress, Shapeshifter. Their enthusiasm and creative ideas were a true inspiration and gave me the final push I needed to finish writing the book.

Holly Bennett is the author of The Warrior’s Daughter and the Bonemender series. She is the editor-in-chief of Today’s Parent Special Editions. Born in Montreal, Holly now lives in Peterborough, Ontario, with her family.