Last Lie (36 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks are long overdue to Boulder. So, thank you, Boulder, for--sometimes defiantly; reliably amusingly--being. I don't think this series would have endured had it been moored elsewhere.

I write in a quiet room with a sleeping dog by my side (thank you, Abbey). But my freedom to write is reliant on people who have been unwavering in support of my vision, such as it is, and who apply their substantial talents into helping me turn raw ideas into finished books. Brian Tart and Jessica Horvath were most patient, and their smart editing was especially crucial in helping me navigate some tricky terrain this time. Robert Barnett, Bonnie Nathan, and Thomas Hentoff offered unflappable calm and seasoned counsel for which I am exceedingly grateful.

For years Elyse Morgan and Nancy Hall have provided their astute vision as they critique early drafts. I thank them for that, and for their complete lack of guile in pointing out the errors of my ways (almost always absent any apparent glee). Jane Davis, too, is a valued early reader, but she is much more than that. My task would be so much more difficult without her invisible hand. I've counted on Al Silverman since the day he phoned me in 1990 (landline to landline, pre-email) and said he wanted to buy my first book. I still count on him.

I suspect that the family of any writer will recognize that the sometimes-endless hours he or she sweats at the keyboard are not the only source of the stress this life heaps on a household. The longer I do this, the more I recognize that, for me at least, the process of writing actually lasts all day--and sometimes all night--for months on end. What happens while I am at the keyboard is merely the writing-down. My loving gratitude goes to my family for tolerating all those present absences and for supporting this odd passion of mine for so many years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen White is a clinical psychologist and
New York Times
best-selling author of seventeen previous suspense novels, including
The Siege, Dead Time,
and
Dry Ice.
He lives in Colorado.

For more information, please visit
www.authorstephenwhite.com