Hell's Faire

Author’s Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank a bunch of people for help with this book and all the other books.

I’d like to thank Sandra Hearn. Yes, Sandy, I did kill you, finally and permanently. I’d like to thank Doug Miller for giving me hours of good copy. And I’d like to thank Bob Hollingsworth, Tony Trimble and John Mullins for some really great stories. Writing is about taking the world and synthesizing it. Without the input of experience it is very difficult to write well. All of these people have made my life a richer and fuller experience, each in their own inimitable way.

As noted in the dedication, thanks to all the Barflies. Baen Publishing maintains a very active webboard community called Baen’s Bar. We, and I consider myself a Barfly of long and serious standing, refer to ourselves as the Barflies. (The group is a “buzz” as in “A Buzz of Barflies” and a Buzz of Barflies can be found around almost any collection of good books.)

The Barflies have been out there rooting and pushing for me from my very first book, A Hymn Before Battle. I was a Barfly before it was accepted for publication and the rest of the gang got out there and promoted it without even being asked. It was like having two thousand sales reps and I’m personally certain that the Barflies, more than any other single factor, have led to the notable success that I’ve enjoyed with my books.

I’d like to thank a few of them in particular and in no particular order, dangit:

Morgen, for being one of the first friendly faces. Deann, despite DaGiN Ball. Genghis Kratman, newest author Barfly, who’s like a brother. Katie/Inga for always being up for a round of groupieness. Wyman for always being out there helping. skippy (sic) for not always being around.

I’d like to thank the technical crew, Conrad, Phil, Doug and Ken Burnside for making some vague sense of my technical inanities.

I’d like to thank Russ Isler and Darius Garsys for turning my descriptions into real, breathing, living objects.

Most especially I’d like to thank Joe Buckley and Glennis LeBlanc for being two of the best First Readers in the business and putting up with my various pranks.

Oh, and I’d like to thank Karin my wife for, once again, putting up with me when I was under deadline.

Naturally, I’m going to forget some people, some of whom have made important contributions. To anyone who was left out, I’m sorry I missed you and I’ll try to make it up in some other books.