Acknowledgements

I am not capable of creating a book such as this on my own. I have the following people, among others, to thank for their assistance.

When it comes to editing, my son Micheal Smith is extremely talented, and his tireless and meticulous suggestions are invaluable. If you find a sentence or detail in the book that doesn’t seem right, it is likely because I failed to implement one of his suggestions.

My wife, Trish, is always the first to read my work, and therefore she has the burden of seeing my stories in their roughest form. Thankfully, she does not hesitate to point out where things are a mess. Her suggestions are what get the editing process started. She also helps with various promotional efforts. And finally, she not only tolerates my obsession with writing, she actually encourages it.

I also owe thanks to those in my Advance Reviewer group. They were able to point out numerous typos and inconsistencies. Several of them went above and beyond, particularly Mandy Walkden-Brown, Tammy Fiess, Lisa Sherman, Sherri Rusch, Ilene Roberts, Elizabeth Copeland, Linda Brand, Lois Welsh, Rosemary Standeven, and Sue Williams.

Marifer Walter and Lana Spaller-Little provided valuable assistance with Spanish dialogue.

Finally, I am thankful to all the independent freelance designers out there who provide quality work for independent authors such as myself. Donna Harriman Murillo created the cover for Profusion (DHMDesigns at 99designs).