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Acknowledgements A few years ago, when I began writing this book, it became painfully obvious I needed substantial help. Somehow, I stumbled upon a website called www.thenextbigwriter.com, and there I found an amazing support system of hundreds of writers and reviewers. Without their help and the vision of website owner Sol Nasisi, this book never would have been completed. While the book’s events and situations are completely fictitious, many of the characters combine aspects of people whose paths I’ve crossed over the years. One little girl in particular has been lodged in my memory for more than twenty-five years. In the spring of 1983, I was a typical cocky high school senior, counting the days until I could escape my home town and run off to college. I had one last hurdle prior to graduation, though. For the month of May, I was required to volunteer my time helping the community. As the captain of the swim team, I, naturally enough, said I’d volunteer at the YMCA or the Boy’s Club, because this was well within my comfort zone. But the Jesuits at Cheverus High School had one last surprise for me. They assigned me to a school for handicapped children. During those few long weeks, this naïve young man learned the difference between autistic and artistic. While working with handicapped children, I also realized how many things in my life I’d been taking for granted, and what was really important. As much as I was dreading this assignment, I was surprised and amazed at the patience and kindness of the teachers at the school and the smiles regularly frequenting the faces of these special children. On the last day, a teacher pulled me aside and asked me to spend some time with one particular student. She was a severely handicapped girl, and somehow I had managed to become her favorite. We spent some time on the swing, and I still remember the smile on her face as she spoke to me with basic sign language. Before I left for the day, the teacher thanked me for being kind and spending time with her… and then told me the little girl had only a short time to live. This assignment I’d initially hated turned out to be both humbling and enormously enriching, and for that I thank everyone involved: the Jesuits, the teachers, the students, and that special little girl who made such a lasting difference in my life. As I look back, I can’t thank my parents, Stan and Sharon, enough for sharing their passion for reading with me at an early age. It was this passion that translated into my desire to write this book. I’d also like to thank my editor and publisher, Bruce Bortz, for his guidance and input, and the same goes for his co-editor, Harrison Demchick. Their insight and skill were invaluable.
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