No book, fiction or nonfiction, stands alone as the product of a singular effort. Just as no book stands apart from the experiences and intentions and mistakes that have brought the author to that first blank page. In this, my eleventh published book, I feel the presence of all that has brought me to this point.
The list of those who have, sometimes unknowingly, contributed to and colored my journey is long, and probably missing a few names that belong. It begins with my wife, Laura, who believes in me unconditionally and has the courage to risk telling me when something isn’t there yet. She is a painter, which means she understands the iterative process of creating a story out of parts that embrace both context and other elements to become something that exists as part of a mysterious larger whole. She is the hero of our story. And while it has manifested the dramatic tension that all good stories require, the ending is clear. It is a Happily Ever After by any measure, and hopefully, a great many chapters remain.
I would like to thank my editor at Writer’s Digest Books, Amy Jones, for not only her keen insights and contributions, but for doing the intangible work of a professional who understands that support, empathy, and wisdom are just as critical to the process as the flagging of an editorial clunker, of which there were many before her deft touch imbued this book with coherence. Likewise, line-editor Kim Catanzarite’s keen eye and sense of balance added much to the end product of this team effort.
I would like to thank Robert Dugoni for his contribution, his support, and his friendship. He is a role model and a selfless superstar in the universe we inhabit as authors, albeit at vastly different altitudes.
Others have contributed to this work in ways they may not understand: Art Holcomb, Jennifer Blanchard, Stephanie Raffelock, Mary Andonian, Jason Brick, Kerry Boytzen, James Scott Bell, James N. Frey, Phillip Margolin, Sue Colleta, Robert Jones, Mike Richardson, Melissa Haynes, Martha Miller, Scott Krager, and certainly others whose names this old brain has failed to summon forth in this moment, all of you have touched my work and my heart. And to my son, Nelson, who is living the phenomenon of the student becoming the teacher, in this case, for how to live with integrity and passion.
And to that sea of faces that over the years have stared back at me in the many workshops and conferences and online connections that explore this magnificent craft we pursue, this is for you. May this book take you one step closer, one day sooner, to the fulfillment of your writing dream.