ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I owe continuing thanks to the owners of Split Creek Farm in South Carolina and Morning Glow Farm in Wisconsin for all information related to goat dairies. Split Creek Farm also was kind enough to host the book launch for Bones to Pick, while Six & Twenty Distillery provided mystery fans with tastings of fine local spirits akin to those my character Paint Paynter will offer when he expands his product line beyond moonshine. Of course, after attending, author Polly Iyer did threaten to sue me due to her new addiction to Six & Twenty’s Carolina Cream.

 

For information dealing with fantasy football, I need to thank friends Chris Christensen and Matt Goddard. I also should give a nod to my great-nephew Braden Mann, a kicker for Texas A&M University, whose talents have certainly increased my interest in watching the sport. Any errors in football references are mine alone. Educating someone like me who is a total pigskin dummy is a daunting task.

 

My good friend Kay Kirkley Barrett, Esq., former City of Clemson Attorney/Prosecutor, provided insights into how my character Iris Hooker, Esq., might spend her workdays. I also want to thank Howard R. Lemcke, another member of the legal profession, for his winning charity bid to have a Picked Off character named for him. Mr. Lemcke has written a riveting true crime book of his own, In Her Own Backyard: A Perfect Husband, A Perfect Marriage, A Perfect Murder, based on a murder case he tried as a prosecutor for the State of Utah.

 

Grateful shout outs are due to the Henery Press editorial team, including Maria Edwards and Rachel Jackson, who helped improve my manuscript, and illustrator Stephanie Savage for her cool covers. I also owe thanks to Rowe Carenen of The Book Concierge for her efforts to reach new audiences.

 

Major thanks to my critique partners—Donna Campbell, Danielle Dahl, Charles Duke, Howard Lewis, and Robin Weaver—for their support, excellent suggestions, and, most of all, their friendship. However, I need to single out horse-and-mule wrangler Howard for his suggestions. Howard spins great tales about how he’s learned his equines’ many peccadillos.

 

As always thanks to my husband, Tom Hooker, who couldn’t be more supportive. I value his feedback on early drafts, and his help in talking through plot dilemmas. For this series, he has even lent his surname to the main character, Brie Hooker.

 

With incredible thanks, this book is dedicated to the Writers’ Police Academy, celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2018. The determination of founder Lee Lofland and Dr. Denene Lofland to help crime writers “get it right” through hands-on learning experiences makes this annual event at a real police academy a fun adventure for both writers and fans of crime fiction. I’ve been lucky to be included in the volunteer “family” that helps with this event.