Cheers to Josh Bazell and Craig Clevenger, both of whom contributed blood and sweat to the DNA of this book.

Thanks to Tony Tallon, Todd Robinson, Matt McBride, Chuck Palahniuk, Steve Weddle, Joshua Mohr, Jenny Milchman, Suzy Vitello, Ed Kurtz, Nik Korpon, Jon Gingerich, David Corbett, Chris Holm, Patrick Wensink, Johnny Shaw, Bryon Quertermous, Tom Pitts, Joe Clifford, and Otto Penzler. Writers and editors who gave me a kind word or counsel (and in the case of Tom and Joe, a killer burrito) through the process of getting this thing live.

To the teams at Shotgun Honey, All Due Respect, Crime Factory, Thuglit, Needle, and Helix, thank you for publishing my stories so I’d have a shot in the arm when I needed it.

To all the people who are going to call me out on inconsistencies with locations and historical timelines: Thanks for reading so closely, but also, shut up. I took some liberties.

Thanks to Tom Spanbauer and Michael Sage Ricci and Kevin Meyer and everyone in my Dangerous Writing workshop. You all left a thumbprint on this, and on me.

Cheers to Renee Pickup and Jessica Leonard at Books & Booze, who hosted the first interview about this book.

Huge thanks to Dennis Widmyer, Kirk Clawes, Josh Chaplinsky, Cath Murphy, and everyone at The Cult and LitReactor. I would not be here without the support and sanctuary of those communities.

Bigger thanks to my parents, for doing right by me and understanding this is a work of fiction (please stop making plans for an intervention, Ma).

Humongous thanks to my agent, Bree Ogden, who is a rock star superhero. And to my editor and publisher, Jason Pinter, for his unwavering enthusiasm for this book.

To everyone I should have thanked who I forgot to include: Fuck. I am so sorry.

Finally, and mostly, thank you to my wife Amanda. For everything. I don’t even know where to start.