by Maz Evans
“What are y—” he started, before the visitor on the other side of the door stunned him into silence.
“This cannot be!” he yelped in terror from the hallway.
The other Gods leapt to their feet.
“How in all the heavens did you find me here?” screamed Zeus. “SNORDLESNOT!”
THE END.
(For now …)
This book has had more lives than a recycled cat and I am indebted to all the hands that it, and I, have passed through. I hope you washed them well afterward. Seriously.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude (and probably cash) to everyone who helped my first edition of WLTGO. Without your brilliance I’m sure this one would never have happened. To Lucy V. Hay for her expert editing; Becky Jeffries for her dedicated design; Debbie Collins for her super subbing; and Mark Beech for his illuminating illustrations—my sincerest thanks to you all. Check’s in the post. Honest.
To Veronique and Nicky, my not-so-secret super agents, I owe you everything. Or technically, fifteen percent of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping the faith.
To the Chickens—working with you has been a thunderbolt of pure joy. My enormous love and thanks to Lady Elinor, Rachel Hachel, Jazz (hands), Luscious Laura (keep jujjing), Corking Kes, New York Nick, Super Steve, Resplendent Rob, Dilligent Daphne, and, of course, the wizard that is Big Bad Baz. You have made my dreams come true. Sorry about that.
Speaking of the stuff of nightmares, I owe particularly mahoosive thanks to my Super Ed, Rachel Leyshon. You are the waxing strip to my hairy legs: painful, but I’m so much better for you. Thank you for your brilliant mind, wonderful heart, and naughty laugh—I have loved every moment working with you and my book and its author have been hugely enriched for having you in our world. Ta, luv.
To Mum, Dad, Len, and Ricks—I love you. Almost all the time.
To my husband—my best mate, first mate, paper mate, and soul mate. You always said this would happen. Congratulations. That’s twice you’ve been right now. Thank you for being my sanity, my happiness, my rock, and far too disorganized to find a divorce lawyer. You are my Elysium.
To my babies—thank you for making every day an adventure. Sometimes a comedy, often a farce, but always with a happy ending. There isn’t enough time or space in an infinite universe to show you how much I love you, but I’ll give it a go. Just keep it down before seven a.m., would you?
And to you, my fabulous reader. Thank you so much for choosing my book, and I hope you had a nice time in it. I’m going to write some more, so I hope you’ll come and see us again. You rock.
Love, and other things that smell like pink marshmallow,
Maz
Xxx
Debut author Maz Evans is also a scriptwriter, playwright, lyricist, journalist, poet, lunch lady, and whatever else pays the gas bill. As a freelance TV journalist, Maz has written for many British publications, including the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sun, TV Times, and TV Easy, and she regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom. Maz has puddle-water eyes and very disobedient hair. She likes sunflowers, things that rhyme, and eating dessert first. She doesn’t like rude, getting up in the morning, or Wednesdays. You can visit her online at www.storystew.org and @MaryAliceEvans.
Copyright © 2017 by Maz Evans
All rights reserved. Published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, CHICKEN HOUSE, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Chicken House, 2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN 978-1-338-06556-5
First edition, April 2017
Jacket Art © 2017 by Aleksei Bitskov
Jacket Design by Mary Claire Cruz
e-ISBN 978-1-338-06562-6
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.