The Vampire Narcise (34 page)

As always, I have many people to thank for helping to get
Narcise
out of the cobwebs in my head and onto the shelves, not the least including Emily Ohanjanians, my hardworking and attentive editor, and the entire team at MIRA. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to launch this series, and I’m especially grateful to Diane Mosher and Katherine Orr for their team’s support.

I’d like to thank Erin and Devon Wolfe and Gary and Darlene March for the late-night boat ride that helped me to crystallize exactly how things could work out for an immortal vampiress. I’m not sure if it was the wine or the combined brainpower, but you all got me thinking on the right path, and herein is the result. Extra hugs and kisses to Darlene and Erin for doing early readings of the book to check my work as well!

Thanks to Holli and Tammy for helping me muddle through yet another book, and for your thoughtful and supportive feedback. I am so very grateful to the two of you that I celebrate Thanksgiving every single day!

I owe my brother Sean big thanks for his expertise with arson and fire—not only for this book, but for every other book that I’ve ever written that has a fire in it. And there are many.

Also, great big hugs to Robyn Carr for too many reasons to list, although I’m pretty sure you know them all. But I’m just going to say one word: sushi.

I also really appreciate the time given by Maggie Shayne, Heather Graham, Lara Adrian and Jeaniene Frost to read from this new series. I can only guess at how busy you are, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support from such talented, generous women. Thank you.

I would also like to thank Marcy Posner for being a wonderful business partner and support over the last seven years. I will always appreciate everything you’ve done for me.

And last, but never least, I must express my deep love and gratitude to my husband and our children for really understanding how my deadlines work, and why there are times that I just can’t sit in on family movie nights. Also special thanks to MusicMan for all those lunches and breakfasts where you’re throwing plot ideas out to me willy-nilly and always manage to come up with something that sticks. I love you.