Sunshine McFaul as Supreme Beta-Reader and Insightful Person #2

Debbi Kaufman as Supreme Beta-Reader and Insightful Person #3

(That’s just in order of when feedback was received and not a ranking. Because that would be dumb. And because they are all amazing and I couldn’t have done this without them. Truth.)

Samantha Lynn as Grammar/Punctuation Queen and Nitpicker Extraordinaire

Jacque Nelson and Jacquelyn Manjarrez and Olivia Craft as Character Cheerleaders and School Support System

Nicole Johnston as Most Giving Person Ever. (Here’s to all the 9th graders stuck with US next year!)

CHS as Students in Crowd Scenes. (Yes. All of you.)

My Book Club as Group that Sustains Me Emotionally

Bacon as Food that Sustains Author Physically

Bryce and Corbin Wescott as Brothers Who Have Made Me Who I Am

It feels like I’ve thanked fewer people this time around than last time around. But, honestly, since Virulent came out, I have had the fortune of seeing just how supported I am. Thank you to everyone who picked up Book One and enjoyed it, and made me feel like writing Book Two was something that the world might actually want. I was going to write it anyway, but knowing that there were people anxiously waiting to find out about these characters provided me with the energy to move forward.

It’s all about you. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Really, deeply, honestly: thank you!

About the Author

Shelbi Wescott is a high school Language Arts and Creative Writing teacher, a mother of two, a television junky, and a board game connoisseur. Her first book, Virulent: The Release was born from a challenge issued by her students to write a book that would interest them. She hopes that the sequel will also live up to that challenge.

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

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