This is home. I am alive, these are my friends, this is my family.
Wherever the Watch is, I’m home.
Hell Followed with Us began life as a fit of rage. It was written by a bitter, terrified boy barely out of his teens and came into the world an unrecognizable mess of viscera. I am forever grateful to the people who saw the beautiful thing inside and helped coax it into the open.
First, my agent—Zabé Ellor took me under his wing when I gave him a stack of half-finished drafts and a promise, and he helped shape it into something to be proud of. And then Ashley Hearn—my editor at Peachtree Teen and real-life literary genius, a whirlwind of brilliant ideas and unconditional support. As for the masterpece of a cover, Melia Parsloe and Evangeline Gallagher came together to make something that absolutely took my breath away. Peachtree Teen built an amazing team for this book, and I couldn’t be more honored.
I can’t forget my friends; the ones who gave me the strength to write the bloody trans horror of my dreams. H.E. Edgmon, Alina, M.J., Raviv, and all the others who have supported me while I found my way, I adore you. And the folks in my MFA, students and professors alike, who have put up with my work from the get-go, I’ve been so lucky to have you.
Mom, Dad, Mamaw, Papaw—we’ve come a long way together, haven’t we? I swear this book isn’t about you. （This time.） And Alice—of course, you. Always you. I’d burn anything down if you so much as asked, even on the days you have to talk for me because I can’t. Especially on those days.
I couldn’t have done this without you.
Andrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He earned his MFA in creative writing from George Mason University in 2022 and has a habit of cuddling random street cats. Andrew writes about trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back. Find him at www.andrewjosephwhite.com or on Twitter @AJWhiteAuthor.