Dedication
To Kathryn.
The greatest fan a writer could ever hope for.
Acknowledgements
This novel has been both a lifetime and six years in the making, with its roots set squarely in the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells as well as the antics of James West in a TV series most of you probably don’t remember. My love of this genre existed long before I ever heard the word “steampunk.” Five years ago, shortly after deciding not to go back to IT and actually pursue the career I always wanted, I ran into a group of steampunkers at MileHiCon. They were promoting a new Internet radio show they were in the process of producing. I wanted writing gigs and we sort of found each other. Such was my introduction to the 21st century notion of steampunk. I’ll tell you, it sure is prettier.
In those first few conversations Jake Lasater became a reality. So, to Kronda and all the corset, spats, and modified Nerf-gun devotees in the Colorado Steampunks, I’d like say thanks. This work (and hopefully the works to follow) owes you all a debt of gratitude.
I’d like to thank Mick, Gary, and Randy over at BDS. Whether they knew it or not, they are patrons of the arts. The gig they let me work for the past couple of years has made completing this novel possible. This work would not exist in the form it is, nor in the time I completed it, without them. Also, a thank you goes out to Ty Christopher, one of the first beta readers.
I’d also like to thank Peter J. Wacks, David Boop, Guy Anthony De Marco, James Sams, and Travis Heermann over at the Handsome Authors Society (no I didn’t name it) for all the time we spent at signings and conventions and chewing the fat about this madness we call writing careers.
I must thank Kathryn Renta for her significant involvement in this particular novel. She read almost every draft. She is ever patient, supportive, and honest, especially in the face of that original first chapter. Gracias, amiga.
A first novel, or in my case a first good novel, takes a lifetime to create. In it lies the hopes and dreams of an individual who, in all likelihood, decided to buck tradition and tell the naysayers to go hell. I often joke about “being waylaid by bandits armed with the phrase ‘So you wanna be a starving artist the rest of your life?’” It’s on my site and in a number of anthologies. The truth is it’s not a joke. I can still hear my father saying it.
So, finally, I’d like to thank you, the reader … the person kind enough to buy, borrow, or steal this novel. Because if you did any one of those three things, it’s a validation that somewhere along the way, at some point, I made the right choice in trying to become an author.
So, THANK YOU.
All I can add is that I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.