When I was at Niles North High School, in Skokie, IL, a fellow student, Bobby Solomon went to the auditorium several times a year to give his Nobel Address for the literature prize. Unbeknownst to him, I stood at the back of the room and listened. Would I ever have the chance, I wondered then, to make such a speech?
As it turns out, no, I haven’t had that honor. I did, however, have the opportunity to return to Niles North to read from Scags at 7 when it was first published. (Videos exist of that reading which also appeared on local cable television, much to my delight.)
Now Scags at 18 is finished. I am grateful to so many people for helping me to get it ready for publication that I could write a book about all of them. I hope they will accept my thanks instead.
However, there are some specific people I want to acknowledge. Let me begin with the folks at WebServes who have been both moral as well as technical supporters of the Sullivan Street Press website and without whose work, my work couldn’t be brought to you. In particular, thank you to James Bradley.
The designer of all Scags books, Patricia Rasch has been without peer in her dedication to getting the job done, including weathering erratic snowstorms and loss of power and yet helping to launch this book. I love the ways she has found to take my words and create the best cover and interior design for the series.
A number of good friends have been supportive of this project, including Angela Goldstein, Kerry Langan, John Royce, Gary McClain, Stephanie Dickinson and the entire Ginsberg clan in Cedar Rapids, IA. A special thanks to family members, Ross Berman and Lynda and Jessica Smith as well as the whole Pyrch clan.
I have been privileged to work with some wonderful professionals who came on board to work on this project, including Susan Robeson and Judith Matloff.
There can never be enough words about the help and support I received from my wife during the entire process of writing this novel. Suzanne Pyrch’s belief in me and her honest appraisal of all I write have been the anchor for this entire project. I never could have finished Scags at 18 without her.
As in all creative projects, more people should be mentioned who haven’t been. I am blessed with so many friends who offered guidance and concern over the course of the many years it took to write this book. Their efforts went to make this a better book but where it fails, that is solely my responsibility.