Back From The Dead

Acknowledgements

A number of people need to be thanked for their contributions (however small) to the writing of Back From the Dead.

First and foremost, thanks to my corral of editors who bought other projects, coaxed this one into existence, and/or assisted me in various other book projects while this bad boy was being written: Don D'Auria, Shane Ryan Staley, Larry Roberts, David Marty, Steve Souza, Paul Goblirsch, Tom and Billie Moran, Bob Strauss, Jamie LaChance, and Tod Clark.

Mike Lombardo gets credit for helping me bridge the generation gap.

Friends and colleagues get a shout-out: Ken Atkins, Jeremiah Brown, Brian Keene, Cassi Keene, Bob Ford, Kelli Owen, Del and Sue Howison, Mike Hawthorne, Trish and Tim Chervenak, Jesus and Glenda Gonzalez, Mike Harrell, Chuck Preston, Bart & Leah Robley, Richard Christian Matheson, Michael Lansu, Tim Deal, Brian Yount, Gary Braunbeck, John Everson, Chet Williamson, Gary Zimmerman, Dori Miller, David Nordhaus, and a whole host of folks I can't remember right now.

As usual, Cathy and Hannah Gonzalez get their own paragraph, because they're special.

The town of Spring Valley, PA is a creation of the author’s imagination, but the area and county it resides in is very much real. More disturbing, and very much real, are the pervading prejudices and attitudes held by many residents of such towns toward those perceived as “different.” The characters in this novel were inspired by these small-minded attitudes. It is very likely that those who hold such views will never read this novel, but that’s okay. But if they do read this novel, and find themselves offended, well, too bad. What, you gonna cry now? Complain? Tell me I’m a big meanie? Tell all my neighbors I’m a crazed Satanist? I hope you do. I’ll actually like that.