I'd like to thank the following people for their friendship and encouragement during the writing of this novel: Michelle Scalise, who added poetry to my life; Diana Jackson, for her much-appreciated wise counsel on all things grammatical (though I still think 'snuck' is acceptable); Adam Meyer and Jonathan Harrington, buddies in the trenches who shared their own red-penned fiascoes; Jamie Eubanks, the spy in Palm Springs; Dome O'Brien, David Smith and Kim Waltemeyer, who believed in the work and fought the good fight; the memory of David Goodis, Charles Willeford, and Charles Williams, with all my respect and gratitude, for inspiring from dusty shelves and proving once again that the dead past is never truly dead.