Film School (44 page)

Only the dog has changed. The cute little puppy I bought the girls is now a ninety-pound Labrador with long legs and a barrel chest, and he's sleeping on my feet as I write this. Jett is a beautiful hound, with a breathtakingly lustrous coat and soft brown eyes. Our big Lab is loving and gentle and endlessly energetic, but he's not without an occasional fault, and when he chews on a sock or something else he shouldn't, the kids will upbraid him sternly using his full and proper name: “Jett CBS Boman, you drop that right now!”

There is a long history of writers complaining about their agents, but I cannot add a word to that history. My book agent, Sally van Haitsma, has been a dream come true. After Sally heard my pitch for this book, she helped me shape it and sold it in lickety-split fashion. Then she never said a discouraging word. Her good humor and encouragement helped a great deal.

My editor, Brian Nicol, was a joy to work with. He has a light touch, yet his insights made this a much stronger book.

Also, here's a big hats-off to John Donnelly of Donnelly Development, who was kind enough to offer me the two things I needed to write this book: some quiet office space and unlimited coffee.

Finally, I want to thank Glenn Yeffeth, the publisher of BenBella Books, who put his money on the line to bring Film School to light and gave me great latitude in the writing of the book.