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THE BRASS COMPASS has been a long time in coming and, as my first foray into historical fiction, couldn’t have come about if it weren’t for the help and support from many people. My gratitude and love goes out to my 93-year-old grandmother, a member of the “Greatest Generation,” and patron supporter of this publication. I am indebted to Oscar Burchard, a teenager able to escape a Nazi work camp with his integrity intact when others would have turned on their fellow man in order to survive. Your story, memories, and historical knowledge of Germany were invaluable to my research. The wonderful accounts of Army Air Corps Veteran Charles L. Childs stoked my imagination and gave me an insight to the minds of military personnel of the times. Historical knowledge from reenactor Robert Arnett gave a me both a reason and location to base my heroine. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Michaela Johnson and Alice Rachel for your translation services. To my content editor, Kelly Eadon, who talked me off a cliff and steered me in the right direction when I felt the manuscript rudderless, and my copyeditor, Amy Knupp, thank you for being a part of this journey to publication. As always, I am indebted to my family, for their constant support for The Brass Compass and encouragement even though it took over ten years for the kernel of an idea to become a published novel. Thank you all for your input, love, and support.