To my dear Readers,

I want to thank you for supporting my work. This novel has been a labor of love for the better part of five years now, so to see it finally out in the world is a joy and a privilege. And while you likely don’t know me, and I likely don’t know you, you have my gratitude for giving me your time and your attention.

When I started this book, it began with an idea at three in the morning. Half asleep, I bolted up, and haphazardly wrote down the opening scene of what you’re about to read. I can only describe the writing process from there out as an act of instinct. I would sit, for hours on end, with a mug of tea and a single light at my desk, and write furiously. It was as if this story needed to exist of its own volition. Truth be told, it did.

There’s nothing more American than a Western. Coming from the Land of Movie Making, I’ve seen my share. Stagecoach, Meek’s Cutoff, The Searchers, Unforgiven, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, True Grit. All brilliant films with captivating characters. And all of them, with few exceptions, missing huge pieces of the puzzle. America in the 19th Century was more than some straight white guys on horses. Women cultivated towns, immigrants created infrastructure, and newly freed people were trying to achieve prosperity. All stories in need of being told, and yet, almost always delegated to the sideline.

So, I wanted to write a story that filled in those missing pieces. Unfortunately, this meant utilizing the vernacular of the time. In order to be true to this work, I had to use racial epithets and attitudes that I would never embrace in my day to day. I know that my voice on these issues is not the most important, but it is necessary. If we are going to strive for a better tomorrow, it is imperative to put aside comfort, and confront the ugliness of yesterday. It’s an ugliness that, sadly, our brothers and sisters of color know too well. That our queer siblings know too well.

I went back and forth for a while about writing this introduction. Part of me wanted my work to speak for itself. After all, art is meant to be interpreted. And once I have said my piece here, you are free to read into any detail however you see fit. But ultimately, it is more important that I do right by my loved ones in stating that this work is now, and has always been, unequivocally anti-racist. That the language used moving forward is meant to present America as it always has been: as a damaged country with the potential to be better than it was.

And with that, please, enjoy.