Authors say many things about debut novels, critics and readers many more. One I’ve not heard: Everyone you encounter in life is a muse for your first novel.
True mentors, though, are rare. I gratefully acknowledge the one for this novel in the manner requested, anonymously.
Muses and mentors are less helpful in dragging the manuscript and its author kicking and screaming to a finished product. For that, I thank the pre-beta and beta readers, too numerous to name, patient souls willing to invest their time at the “hot mess” and “slightly less than hot mess” stages, when the author thinks he’s close and everyone else knows he isn’t; immediate family members (several who are authors in the own right and/or the most avid of readers), friends, and colleagues; and most of all, the editors and interns at Amphorae Publishing, one in particular who plays so many roles in my life.
Finally, I need to acknowledge the hundreds of novelists I’ve read since I was a young boy (and all the editors, proofreaders, and production people who supported them). They were the source of my ambition. After this effort, I have so much more respect and gratitude for each and every one of them each and every day.