I’ve always said that I never write a book in a vacuum. There are always people supporting and helping me do it. This is doubly so when it comes to BattleTech novels.
Thank you much to Chris L., Chris W., Mike, Patrick, Phil, and Ray. You guys are awesome! As soon as I started Rogue Academy 1: Iron Dawn, I spun up my BattleTech Think Tank email group. These are the people I threw generic questions to. One of the best things about them was the fact that when I asked if a cinematic action was possible, they would not only tell me yes or no, if yes, they would tell me how in technical terms. If no, they would give me alternate ideas.
A special thank you to Phil Lee, who answered all my texted, random “quick questions” at any hour of the day or night. I really appreciate his responsiveness, no matter what time I messaged him.
The MVP award goes to Chris Love. He was my ’Mech-battle guru. I’d tell him what I wanted, who was on what side, what ’Mechs were in the fight, and who should win…and he would help me with the details, making sure I didn’t come up with something outrageous. It allowed me to keep one foot on the ground while I had my head in the clouds. Also, Chris put together a technical document of the thirty-three ’Mechs I’m using for this series. Variants, pictures, and specific details that are like gold to an author.
Thank you to Brent Evans. Before all this could happen, I had a long talk with Brent, the BattleTech line developer. When you write for an established property, you work for that universe. I appreciated the time Brent took to talk to me about what they were looking for, to help me understand the tone and themes and where the Rogue Academy trilogy would fit in the BattleTech metaplot. It was all important information. Also, Brent always chimed in on the Think Tank discussion to approve or clarify answers to my questions.
Thank you to John Helfers for everything. Cheerleader, coach, editor—it was John’s job to make sure I wrote the best novel I could. He had the final say on everything. He made my decent prose excellent and for that, I am ever grateful.
Thank you to Sarah Craft, my PA. Always there to support and proof my work, Sarah keeps me on track. A good PA is worth everything.
Thank you to Jeff, my husband, my biggest supporter, and my love. Without him, none of this would be possible.
As always, I blame Jason Schmetzer for everything else BattleTech-related.