Acknowledgments

John Geistdoerfer is a real person, who does like vampires, but not overly much. His generosity earned him a place in this book, and his good humor earned him a very weird place in it. “Have fun with it,” he said, and so I did.

I spent a lot of time doing research for the portions of this novel set during the Civil War. A lot of people helped with that, answering my questions and keeping me honest. The staff and the reenactors at the Gettysburg National Military Park were extremely generous with their time and their knowledge. So too was Craig Young, who compiled a detailed account of what the Third Maine Volunteer Infantry did, where they slept, and what equipment they had for every day of the war. His work was of inestimable help in creating the timeline for my story.

Thanks also must go to Carrie Thornton, Jay Sones, and so many others at Three Rivers Press who helped make this book possible.

My wife, Elisabeth, showed me unwavering support during the writing process and deserves a lot more gratitude than I can express here.