I would like to express my appreciation to all the family and friends who gave their support during the research and writing of this book. I am particularly indebted to the numerous fans of the series whose encouragement was invaluable throughout the long writing process.
My beta readers have made this a better book than I could have achieved on my own, so thanks to Jim Brown, Julie Evans, Micheline Golden, Robin Harsh, Casey Jones, Judy Mahony, Jennifer Matthews, and Joy Sobel.
I want to give special thanks to Michelle Huffaker, who continues to produce such wonderful covers, and my editor, Jessica Meigs, who has the eye for detail I lack.
Finally, this book, as always, wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my loving husband Jim, and my daughter Ashley, who both provide me the motivation to keep on writing.