The Grinding (25 page)

I have a confession. I never read the
acknowledgements when I finish a book. I was about to type out some humbuggery
about how it can ruin the magic of the end of blah, blah, blah, but the real
answer is these things put me to sleep. As a result, I feel a bit like a
hypocrite writing one myself. Still, I must do it. The fact is I couldn’t have
written this without the help of several people, and they need to be thanked.
In a way, it doesn’t feel like a simple page is enough. But it’s all I got, so
here goes:

Thank you Meredyth and the crew. (Usually I would
say, “You are my muse,” but I don’t think you’d appreciate it after reading
this book.) Thanks to Necro Dave, Erik Wilson, and the editors. As always,
thanks to Blair Underwood, and the music that paved the way. Most notably this
time Green Carnation, Evergrey, Fates Warning, Pain of Salvation, and Dream
Theater.

A special thanks to my beta readers: Ryan Ward,
Kim Neville, Gio Clairval, Juanita McConnachie, Anna Maria Olsen, Rebecca
Ogrodowski, and several others who I may have forgotten. I truly appreciate
it.
 

Also, to those of you who read The Shivered Sky
and Trailer Park Fairy Tales and wrote to tell me you enjoyed it. It helps. It
really does.

This book was written as I left Tucson. It was my
way of saying goodbye. I’m not so sure I should actually thank the city, but I
have to acknowledge it.

Farewell, Tucson.

Matt Dinniman lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife,
his family, and his zoo of animals. When he isn’t writing, he works as an
artist.