First, I want to thank those who helped fund this book via Kickstarter, and then waited patiently for it to be born. It was a far longer wait than we anticipated. Between us, Danielle and I had family emergencies, deaths in both families, health challenges, and a tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot by saying “yes” to many things.
Which brings me to my thanks for Danielle. She helped with the Kickstarter and with creating this book. She’s a thorough and persistent editor, and these stories are all better for that. Even more importantly, she also wrote both a story and a poem in my world. I am ever so grateful for that trust and for her hard work and dedication. I’m pretty sure Mike McPhail helped as well, even if he stayed in the background. If nothing else, Mike keeps Dani whole.
John Pitts has been reading in the world of Fremont’s Children since before either he or I had published a thing. We’re both many novels into our careers now, and I’m always grateful for his long steady friendship. Friends like John can keep you going when you are ready to give up.
Thanks are also due to Kevin J. Anderson and Wordfire Press. Kevin’s support for these books has provided a way to reboot the story, to encourage new readers, and for this collection, new writers. I’m very grateful to him for that.
My deepest thanks go to my family, who have always been supportive, no matter what it might cost them.