I want to thank all the people who have contributed to the success of the first book in this series, Figure Eight. Bookstore and small business owners, readers and friends, old and new, are as much a part of this book as I am. Had it not been for all of you, Figure Eight would have been a dusty tome in the five-cent basket at a yard sale or the paper pages used to start a fire in the woodstove. I hope you like Spider Lake.
My entire family and the traditions we share are very much part of this story. I want to especially thank my family members who were in the trenches with me: the lovely Nania women—Victoria, Rebecca and Christina—who relentlessly demanded a second book; my talented son, Chris, who designed another incredible cover; and sons, Jimmy and Jay John, for their steadfast unwavering support.
There were many people who waded through the unedited text to help me make this a better book, including retired Sheriff’s Captain Tanya Molony and retired Sheriff’s Lieutenant J.J. Molony (she still outranks him), who helped work out the details of the most critical parts of the story; and my dedicated crew of early readers: the Huffaker Five, Marilyn Davis, Karin O’Malley, Reverend Mark Rydberg, Ron Schreiber, Julie Barnaby, and Aunt Silvia.
Thanks go to S. Benton and Karen Ferrell who made sure the final draft was the final draft, and to Kristin Mitchell, Shannon Booth, and the entire professional team at Little Creek Press for helping me turn words into a book to put into the hands of readers.
A special thank you to Tommye Heinemann for keeping the tradition of Spider Lake alive.