as always I owe a debt of gratitude to the people at Penguin Putnam for their tireless efforts and patience, and in particular to Phyllis Grann, my publisher, and to Stacy Creamer, my editor, without whose help Paul Madriani would be but a fleeting image in this author’s mind.
I also wish to thank Esther Newberg at ICM and the agents of that firm who have worked diligently to market my works in languages around the world. And to my lawyer, Mike Rudell, without whose steady hand and careful judgment I would have lost endless nights of sleep, I owe my life for having lifted the anxieties of business from my shoulders.
Finally and most important, to my wife, Leah, and my daughter, Megan I owe love and undying devotion for their help and support through difficult times. They have lived with the unending insecurities of a writing husband and father, and for that alone they deserve a place in heaven.
To all of these I owe a debt of gratitude.
SPM
Bellingham, WA
2001