The Persistence of Memories - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (69 page)

shé, Shé:
\
shay\
one (number),
The One of All Sacred (f) [cap. only when referring to deity]

Shenaihu, Shenaihuza:
\sheh-
NYE
-hoo\
,
\sheh-
NYE
-hoo-zah\
Meraladians of Shenaihu
descent
shimshiya:
\
sheem-
SHEE
-yah\
start of a spiritual event, akin to 'call to arms'

si:
\
see\
general conjunction,
used mostly as a time reference in genealogy and history

somfei:
\
SOM
-fey\
general greeting
taftika:
\
taff-
TEE
-ka\
general
phrase of thanks or appreciation

-za:
\
zha\
,
\sha\
suffix
used to denote someone’s land, or alternately their clan
descent

-zi:
\
zhi\
,
\zee\
suffix
used as a nickname, often added only to first syllable of name,
i.e. Nandahya = Nanzi, Amna = Amzi, Karinna = Karzi

Acknowledgements

First off, I’d like to thank all of you, dear
readers. When I first decided to self-publish the Bridgetown
Trilogy, I truly had no idea how it would turn out. I had a few
beta readers, friends and family to tell me what worked and what
didn’t, but I could only guess what the response would be once I
released it out into the world. To all of you who downloaded
A
Division of Souls
, I thank you! And I hope you enjoyed
The
Persistence of Memories
as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I
hope you stick around for the conclusion,
The Balance of
Light
.

I’d like to thank Amanda and Amie for taking
the mighty red pen to
ADoS
and giving me more insight into
what still needed fixing. This has been a learning process from the
start, and I’ve enjoyed every moment, even when I had to kill my
darlings (or in this case, my ellipses habit)!

I’d like to thank Marcel Clemens and
Shutterstock for an absolutely gorgeous cover. Choosing the right
picture was a tough one this time out, as I had a lot more to
convey with just one image while still staying true to the visual
theme. Thanks to Meagan for suggesting the software I used for its
creation, giving artistic feedback, and for giving me a refresher
course in color theory.

Thanks to Chris, Bruce, Tracey, and my
friends and family who keep me going. Thanks to Maricruz, Andrew,
Vic and Brad, who completely understand and let me do what I love
in the off-hours. Thanks to Saundra for jumping on board so
quickly! Thanks one more time to Janice, who always cheers me on
whenever I’m lagging behind.

Thanks also to the other writers who will
always respond to the #amwriting tag with cheers and smiles, you
all remind me how fun this job can be!

This one’s for all the DIYers out there: the
self-publishing writers, the musicians, the crafters, the webcomic
artists, all of them doing what they truly love, following their
own rules. Every one of them depending on the generosity of fans,
friends, donation websites, and understanding bosses at their day
jobs. It’s one hell of a way to put yourself out there in the
universe, but the payoff is so worth it. You are all an inspiration
to me.

About the Author

Jon Chaisson
started writing science fiction
in a tiny apartment in Boston after watching way too much anime and
consuming most of the nearby public library’s Japanese SF section.
He then spent nearly a decade in a cool basement in central
Massachusetts, creating and writing the Mendaihu Universe. He now
lives in San Francisco with his wife Amanda, several books, a few
guitars, and a ridiculously large music collection.

I’m online at these fine establishments. Come and
say hello!

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/joncwriter

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jon.chaisson.7

Walk in Silence,
my music blog:
http://jonchaisson.com

GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/JonChaisson

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jonchaisson