Thanks are due first and foremost to my brilliant partner Les Klinger, whose breadth of knowledge is a continual source of wonder. Thank you to Charles Dickens, whose work as both author and editor paved the way for so many others, and to Anne Lohrli, whose work Household Words: A Weekly Journal 1850–1859 Conducted by Charles Dickens led the way to the discovery of Dinah Mulock’s remarkable “M. Anastasius.” Thank you to our agent Donald Maass, and eternal gratitude to Claiborne Hancock, Maria Fernandez, and the entire Pegasus crew who always make the words look so good. Lastly, thank you to Kevin Cazares and Ricky Grove, who keep me entertained, informed, and alive.
—Lisa Morton
Wow, there are so many brilliant ghost stories to share! As usual, this book is the product of many hands. First and foremost, it is a thrill to again co-edit a book with my longtime pal Lisa Morton, whose work I constantly admire. This is our fourth collaboration, and I hope we have many more! Many thanks to my agent Don Maass, who is always supportive of my crazy-sounding ideas. Claiborne Hancock and the rest of the Pegasus team—Maria Fernandez and Victoria Wenzel in particular—lavished it with care and attention. I’m always grateful to my writer-friends, Laurie R. King, Neil Gaiman, Nicholas Meyer, Cornelia Funke, Bonnie MacBird, and Peter Straub and fellow horror lovers John Landis and Guillermo del Toro. My family is always understanding of my hiding in my office to do research and writing. In particular, I am blessed that my wife Sharon is my biggest fan and cheerleader, without whom none of my writing would ever happen. She has always been, and remains, “the woman.”
—Leslie S. Klinger