Victoria Love: Finding some of these documents, unveiling the secrets and methodically breaking down the legend was exhilarating and comes so rarely in a history buff’s life. It was long past time to tell this story.
I want to thank my husband, Brian, who let me persist in this wild chase through history despite having a full-time job and two kids. He also translated our French documents and phrases for us. My mom got me numerous books from interlibrary loan at her local library despite the embarrassment of her having to pick up titles on serial-killing women, death, maiming and worse. The staffs of the Missouri Historical Society (St. Louis) and the Williams Research Center in New Orleans were stellar and patient with my questions and many requests. Ricardo Pustanio was more than gracious in sharing family history and his art. Claudia Williams and her staff provided patient answers to my zombie lore questions. Thank you to the staff of The History Press for their trust and patience, especially Becky Lejeune, Ryan Finn and Ashley Mancill. Thank you also to Fran Lawren and Pamela Bigelow for editing this complex history. I always wanted to thank my parents for not putting me in therapy when my interest in the morbid or macabre raised its head early in my life, so now is the time. And, of course, thanks to Lorelei, who took on the task with me of writing and editing this book. She inspires me every day.
Lorelei Shannon: Thanks to my family for putting up with my obsessive interest in this book. Huge, gigantic, enormous thanks to Victoria Love for getting the research done with such thoroughness, flair and ingenuity. As usual, I’m in awe. Thanks to my dogs for letting me hug them when I’d get freaked out by the subject material of this book. I love you all.