Mama Rides Shotgun (26 page)

Acknowledgments

I owe a debt to the great folks on the Florida Cracker Trail, who welcomed me on the Twentieth Anniversary of the cross-state horseback ride. Everyone was uniformly nice: not a greedy, murderous, or crazy character among them. Just as my books’ fictional town of Himmarshee is inspired by Okeechobee, the Cracker Trial served as muse. I shifted Florida geography to suit the story. The characters, good and bad, came from my imagination.

Some real people, however, deserve a tip of this cowgirl’s hat.

Judge Nelson Bailey educated me on Florida’s cattle history, which the ride honors, and loaned me his horse, Domino. Carol Bailey helped me resurrect long-dormant riding skills.

Mitzi Webber and the Miami crew rescued me one wet, frozen night, providing horse trailer and portable heater. Apologies to Mitzi’s horse, Poco, who had to sleep outside.

Florida’s fine cattlemen and women hosted the ride, keeping agricultural traditions alive. Special thanks to Duck and Susan Smith for a ranch house tour and family tales.

Pat’s Bar-B-Que, the chuck wagon crew, fed us so well I forgot my aches and pains.

The mule- and horse-wagon drivers offered a few rides, giving my bottom a break.

Deputies and police across Florida helped keep us safe; all were competent pros, unlike the sheriff from fictional Dundee, Florida.

Dr. Robert King briefed me during the ride on medicine and matters of the heart (Dr. David Perloff did the same, back in Fort Lauderdale).

Bit of Hope Ranch loaned a rescued horse for the final day’s parade. Thanks to Karl, a peach of a plow horse!

As always, I want to thank my husband, Kerry Sanders, and the original Mama, Marion Sharp, for their love and support; Joyce Sweeney and the Thursday group for writing help (super title, Audrey!); and my agent, Whitney Lee, for being in my corner.

I’m grateful for the talented staff at Midnight Ink, especially Connie Hill, whose editing skill saves me from looking stupid; Courtney Kish, who gets the word out; and Lisa Novak, whose designs make my covers pop. Illustrator Mark Gerber is an added gift.

To those I’ve named, to anyone I missed, and especially to you, for reading Mama Rides Shotgun … THANKS.

About the Author

Like Mace Bauer’s, Deborah Sharp’s family roots were set in Florida long before Disney and
Miami Vice
came to define the state. She does some writing at a getaway overlooking the Kissimmee River in the wilds north of Okeechobee, and some at a Starbucks in Fort Lauderdale. As a Florida native and a former longtime reporter for
USA Today
, she knows every burg and back road, including some not found on maps. Here’s what she has to say about Himmarshee:

Home to cowboys and church suppers, Himmarshee is hot and swarming with mosquitoes. A throwback to the ways of long-ago southern Florida, it bears some resemblance to the present-day ranching town of Okeechobee. The best thing about Mace and Mama’s hometown: it will always be threatened, but never spoiled, by suburban sprawl.