I WISH TO EXPRESS MY gratitude to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Summer Graduate Class, PEN Center USA, the UCLA Writers’ Extension Program, the Norman Mailer Center, and the following mentors from these institutions and fellowships who offered crucial and constructive criticism that has stayed with me: Lan Samantha Chang, Steve Heller, Ellen Slezak, Ian Randall Wilson, and Jeffery Renard Allen.
Thank you to my agent, Susan Schulman, who read my work without insisting on the usual professional platform, and for believing in a story set in a remote area of the southwest.
At Torrey House Press, thanks to Mark Bailey and Kirsten Allen, co-publishers with a mission for preserving western lands and honoring the literary works of authors who live there; and Anne Terashima, enthusiastic public relations and marketing whiz. Special thanks to Kirsten Allen for her attention, editing skills, and suggestions during the revision process.
And a deep bow to friends and readers for their ongoing encouragement: Anne Cooper, Lorene Garrett, Sheila Blake, Audrie Clifford, Patsy Catlett, and Two Moons.