Warmest thanks go to Bonnie Stockman, who rekindled my love of horses, to James Brunet for his insights into the politics of Laureal City, to Sheila Gilbert, my editor at DAW, for encouraging my first attempts at telling this story and being patient while they gestated into maturity,
But most of all, this book owes a special debt to Kung Fu San Soo Grandmaster Jimmy H. Woo, who taught me how to fight and when not to. “You can take my life, but not my confidence.”