With appreciation . . .
First of all, I have to thank my dad, Tony Hillerman, for, well, for everything. For writing the first book in the series, The Blessing Way, published in 1970. That book introduced Joe Leaphorn, Dad’s original Navajo detective. Dad believed that interesting stories and good writing mattered and his passion for books inspired me from girlhood. I will be forever grateful to him for encouraging me to read and write, write, and write some more. Although we never talked directly about my taking on the series after his death, working with him on my previous book Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn, laid the groundwork for Spider Woman’s Daughter. His example as a writer and his support as a father gave me the gumption to adopt Leaphorn, Chee, and especially Bernadette Manuelito, and make them my own. While I enjoyed all his books, his novel A Thief of Time with its wonderful plot and settings created the platform for Spider Woman’s Daughter. If you haven’t read it, or haven’t read it lately, I encourage you to take a look.
Dad’s longtime editor Carolyn Marino reacted with enthusiasm rather than skepticism when I mentioned my plan. Marino worked with Tony beginning in 1990 as coeditor with Larry Ashmead and then as Dad’s main editor through the end of his series. She was also the editor of his memoir Seldom Disappointed. She gently prodded me out of my comfort zone as I moved from years of writing nonfiction to the challenge of writing fiction. I am thankful for my good luck in being the beneficiary of her long and skilled work as the editor of the Tony Hillerman mysteries. My gratitude extends to her associate, Amanda Bergeron, for her insights on Spider Woman’s Daughter, and to my agent, Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli, for her business acumen.
I am more grateful than I can express to my colleagues, writers Margaret Coel and Sandi Ault, both of whom strongly and continually urged me to keep the stories of Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito alive. A tip of the hat to my Santa Fe writing partners Cindy Bellinger and Rebecca Carrier for their wise insights, skillful nagging, and refusal to let me take the easy way out. Special thanks to Jean Schaumberg, my business partner for Wordharvest Writers Workshops and the Tony Hillerman Conference, for doing more than her share while I worked on this book. And to Miranda Ottewell-Swartz for her assistance with Navajo star lore.
Rick Iannucci, a retired U.S. Marshal and former Green Beret, shared his knowledge of law enforcement procedures and the psychology of bad guys. Iannucci is executive director and an instructor with Horses For Heroes—New Mexico, Inc. You can learn more about the work his group does with returning veterans at http://horsesforheroes.org. David J. Greenberg, recently retired from the FBI, taught me about crime at Chaco Canyon National Historic Site and interagency cooperation in Indian Country. Both these gentlemen helped me learn what everyday law enforcement in the Southwest involves. Thanks to Santa Fe Police Officer Louis Montoya and his associates from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department and the New Mexico State Police for all the information they conveyed to me during the multiweek Citizens’ Academy, a program that shows to the public the complications, dangers, and rewards involved in police work.
I drew on the research of fellow author Laurance D. Linford reflected in his book, Tony Hillerman’s Navajoland, for insights into the real places that populate Dad’s novels. I am grateful to Dr. Joe Shirley and all the generous and supportive Diné I met during my three years of research. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the hardworking men and women of the Navajo police force who risk their lives to keep the Navajo Nation safe.
My mother, Marie Hillerman, continually encouraged me to write about the characters Dad created, assuring me that Tony would be happy to see them live on. She read drafts, shared her astute insights, and worked with me on two bouts of end-of-project proofreading. Brandon Hillerman Strel did a fabulous job catching inconsistencies and raising questions that helped make the book better. My husband, Don, deserves a truckload of chocolate for all his assistance and for putting up with me on those days when writing the book became an obsession.
And, from head to toe, I appreciate the scores of my Dad’s fans who asked if he had another manuscript stashed away somewhere (no, he didn’t). Like me, they wanted more stories of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, and Bernadette Manuelito. They urged me to jump into the job by sharing their own stories of affection for Dad, the characters he created, and the landscape in which they lived.